I Want To Be Left Alone
by Crazy Amazing
Summary: Three teenagers would rather wander the Johto Region for the rest of forever than go back to where they originally came from. When the past catches up with them, will they be able to escape it a second time? And what secrets are they hiding?
1. Cave Catastrophe

**Note: Yes, the long-awaited sequel is finally here! [crowd goes wild] And the first chapter is years longer than I planned (small exaggeration there..). I like to think I've written this in a way that people who haven't read _I Want To Join Team Rocket_ will still be able to understand it...Hopefully I'm as good a writer as I think I am *gulp*. Oh and for those of you who HAVE read the first one, be prepared for more battles! Waaay more...  
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Cave Catastrophe

There was safety in numbers and when you were a teenager who didn't fit in with society, wandering the Johto Region with others like you was a good idea. It worked for Ronnie and Connor, two sixteen year olds who had fled Kanto after a murder...But that was in the past now. They had made a fresh start and were happy to know none of the people they spent their days with knew of the circumstances that had brought the two to the group. Ronnie had long curly blonde hair that she tied up into a ponytail, a mouth that hardly formed a smile and had a fondness for pink clothing: her dress and boots were fuchsia. Contrary to popular belief, Ronnie wasn't as unfeeling as her unsmiling mouth suggested; she was kinder than she appeared. Her best friend Connor new this: he had known her for two and a half years so he should. Connor had black hair that was obviously dyed, as his eyebrows were purple. Unlike Ronnie, Connor's smiles came easily – especially when they were directed at pretty girls.

Connor and Ronnie had been travelling with the other teenagers for about a year now. In the time that they had been with them, people had come and gone. The only teens who remained constant in the group were themselves, the self-appointed leader – Clyde – and silent Bree. Clyde was nineteen and had arms that were covered in tattoos and a face full of piercings. He led the group in whatever direction he felt and occasionally helped teenagers evade the police if necessary. Right now they were in the Union Cave with hopes to get to Route 32 before nightfall. As usual Clyde was at the front, leading the thirteen or so teenagers through the cave. Connor and Ronnie brought up the rear, along with Bree.

According to Clyde, Bree had been wandering the region by herself when he found her and introduced her to his group. She was a small fourteen year old with fiery red hair that, like Connor's, was obviously dyed. She wore a black hooded jumper, light blue skinny jeans and short grey boots that went well with the grey backpack on her back. Bree hardly spoke to anyone and as a result no-one really knew her. She trailed behind everyone, dragging her feet and keeping her eyes fixed on the ground. Ronnie kept stealing glances at the shy girl, making sure she didn't get lost or something of the sort.

Without warning, a sharp cry echoed around the cave walls and everyone stopped in their tracks. Connor and Ronnie were quite a bit behind the rest of the group and so couldn't tell immediately what was going on. When they heard shouts of 'where did they all come from?' and 'the Geodudes are using Magnitude!' they quickly figured it out. Suddenly the ground beneath them was shaking violently, rocks and dirt falling from the roof of the cave. Connor managed to stay on his feet for a while until Ronnie was knocked to the ground and pushed him over as she went down. The sound of the earthquake was all that could be heard, that and several people screaming. As rocks crumbled around her, Ronnie scrambled for Connor and threw her arms around his middle, burying her face in his chest with the resolve only to look up when it was all over. He clutched her to his body tightly, scared for both their lives.

The cave around them shook with an unbelievable force and Connor watched in horror as Ronnie's Pokéballs fell out of her bag, though he couldn't do anything about it. Connor tried to watch the balls to see where they rolled but lost sight of them when a large number of rocks collapsed in front of him and he had to drag himself and Ronnie out of the way before they were crushed. More rubble descended from the roof of the cave and Connor found himself crawling on the floor in an attempt to evade it all. It was hard for Connor to manoeuvre them away from the chaos as the force of the earthquake threw him off balance and it didn't help that Ronnie was wrapped around his body, dragging him down. A rather hefty rock dropped right above Connor and struck him on the head, dazing him.

Small hands shook Connor's shoulders roughly. He blinked to get his eyes to focus and when they did, saw Bree staring at him with her green eyes searching his face for any hint of a concussion. He tried to sit up but Bree held him down which was just as well: Connor felt his head pounding at the sharp movement. He wouldn't be trying that in a hurry.

"Do you know who you are?" asked Bree in a soft voice.

"Yeah; I'm Cona– err, Connor." Bree looked at him strangely. Was nearly getting your own name wrong a sign of a concussion or was it just the shock? She didn't know. She was crouched beside him and helped him get to his feet slowly. She was short for her age and he towered over her, making Bree feel shy once again and she reverted back into her shell. She stepped away from Connor nervously, fixing her eyes on her boots.

"Where's Ronnie?" asked Connor, his voice rising a little.

"I'm right here," said Ronnie. Connor spun around and there she was, standing with her back to him and staring up at the cave wall. As Connor stared, he realised that it wasn't a cave wall at all – it was in fact the pathway they had been walking on. It had become completely blocked off with rocks and rubble. Connor looked around. He, Ronnie and Bree were the only ones on this side. The rest of the group was no where to be seen. Dust was settling all around them. A memory hit Connor suddenly and his heart rate increased.

"Ronnie, your Pokéballs–"

"Got them," she said dully, holding up the three red and white balls. Connor sighed with relief. He had thought for sure they had gotten lost in the earthquake. Ronnie still hadn't looked away from the blockage. Connor moved forward and placed a hand on her shoulder yet she still didn't look at him. She wanted to ask if he thought everyone was okay but she was scared of his answer. The combined force of the Geodudes' Magnitude was unbelievably strong and the evidence of that was standing in their way. It would be a miracle if they had all come away from it unscathed. A couple of the teens had been even smaller than Bree. Ronnie wondered if Clyde was alright and if he was organising everyone on his side. She tried to strain her ears to hear but either the rocks were too thickly piled or no-one was talking on the other side. Ronnie liked to think it was the rocks.

"Couldn't we try to move some of them?" she asked Connor pleadingly. Before she had even finished her question though, he was already shaking his head.

"It would be too dangerous. We might accidentally cause a landslide. Our best bet is to go around," he admitted. He too wanted to attempt to move the rocks and see if everyone had gotten out of the earthquake okay but his logic told him it would be plain stupid. They had just escaped one dangerous situation – why create another?

They hadn't gotten very far in the Union Cave so it wouldn't be too challenging to retrace their steps. Ronnie and Connor began walking but soon realised Bree was still standing around, nervously biting her lip. Her face brightened when Connor told her she had to stick with them. She didn't think they would want her with them now that Clyde was out of the picture and it came as a relief to Bree to find they didn't mind her tagging along.

After running into three dead ends, Ronnie, Connor and Bree could faintly make out the Union Cave's opening and made their way towards it. Beyond that was Route 33, the place they had left not two hours ago. As they walked past a particularly large boulder, a tall girl with dark blue hair tied up stepped out from behind it. She was wearing a long red top, a blue skirt and brown shoes with blue over-the-knee socks on her feet. Pointing unnecessarily in Ronnie's face, she spoke.

"I challenge you to a battle!" she cried loudly. Connor rubbed his ear pointedly. There was no need to shout; they were standing right in front of her. Ronnie looked at Connor for his opinion and he shrugged. _Why not?_ Ronnie thought to her self. They weren't in any rush and the girl looked determined to have a battle. When Ronnie nodded, the girl finally lowered her finger and announced that it would be a four-on-four battle which meant Ronnie had to borrow one of Connor's. He didn't mind and they both knew his Pokémon wouldn't – they knew Ronnie as well as Connor and were friendly with her. The dark blue haired trainer introduced herself as Gwen before releasing her first Pokémon from its ball.

A creature with brown fur, a bushy tail with a cream-colored tip, and big, long ears appeared. An Eevee. Ronnie pulled out her first Pokémon: Connor's Pinsir. It was like any other Pinsir with the exception that it had half of its right horn missing. Neither Connor nor Ronnie knew how it had happened as they had found the Pinsir in that state when they first met him. Gwen smirked when she saw Pinsir's horn, immediately assuming that it was weak. She ordered her Eevee to use Quick Attack and though it hit Pinsir, it didn't make much of an impact. Ronnie told Pinsir to counter with Vital Throw and Pinsir obeyed, hitting the Eevee up into the air before grabbing it and throwing it on to the cave ground. It was knocked out instantly. On the sidelines, the corners of Bree's mouth twitched upwards when she saw Ronnie achieve her first victory against Gwen.

Narrowing her eyes at Ronnie, Gwen recalled Eevee and let out a Flareon. The small hint of a smile vanished from Bree's lips. Pinsir was weak against Fire types. Gwen certainly knew what she was doing. In anticipation of what was to come, Ronnie hastily made Pinsir use Harden to make his defence stronger. She hoped it was enough to withstand whatever Fire type move Gwen was undoubtedly preparing to use.

Connor winced as his Pokémon was hit square in the chest by the Flareon's Ember. Pinsir cried out in pain but stood strong even though he was badly burned. Gwen smiled.

"Again!" Flareon hit Pinsir once more with Ember and the hot flames licked at the other Pokémon's body until he was no longer standing. With an apologetic look towards Connor, Ronnie put Pinsir back in his ball and freed her Sandslash. With its body mostly covered in sharp quills, the large claws on its paws and the long scar running through its right eye, Ronnie's Sandslash looked rather threatening and Gwen found herself backing up a little. It was Ronnie's turn to smirk when she noticed how hesitant Gwen had become upon making eye contact with Scar, her Sandslash.

Ronnie started off with Sand Tomb, trapping Gwen's Flareon in a violently raging sandstorm. Gwen tried to get Flareon to use Quick Attack to get out of the storm but it was futile – the storm was too harsh for the Flareon to escape, especially as it had already damaged it a fair deal. Scar was then ordered to use Crush Claw and he jumped into the sandstorm to slash at Flareon with his hard claws. As an added consequence, Flareon's defence was lowered a little and it was hit again by the effects of Sand Tomb. Flareon keeled over and was unconscious.

Irritated that she had lost yet again, Gwen let out her next Pokémon, Vaporeon. Connor frowned; Gwen was only choosing Pokémon that were super affective on Ronnie's. It was a good tactic but hardly fair on Ronnie.

"Come on Vaporeon, do it for the team!" egged Gwen encouragingly. Vaporeon looked back at its trainer and made a mewling sound. While Vaporeon's head was turned, Ronnie sneakily told Scar to attack it with Crush Claw. When Scar slashed Vaporeon's body with his claws, Gwen glared at Ronnie for taking advantage of the situation and yelled angrily for her Vaporeon to retaliate with Water Gun. Scar was blasted with a powerful shot of water that caused him to fall back. When Vaporeon was done, Scar struggled to his feet shakily and looked bravely to Ronnie for the next command. Ronnie figured that the Vaporeon had to be near fainting because of the Crush Claw attack and reasoned that one more should finish it off. She told Scar to attack with it once more and Gwen told her Vaporeon to use Water Gun again. Scar was too slow with his attack and Vaporeon hit him first, striking him with yet another forceful shot of water. When it was over, Scar was knocked out. Bree was disappointed that Gwen had won, though Ronnie herself wasn't too bothered. She and Gwen both had two Pokémon left but unlike Gwen, both of Ronnie's Pokémon were at full health. She could win this battle easily.

As it made sense to use her Gloom, Ronnie decided to. Gloom was resistant to Water moves and Vaporeon was weak against Grass. Connor caught Ronnie's eye and willed her not to do what he thought she was going to do. Sure Gloom was the perfect Pokémon on paper for this battle but there was that one tiny problem of...

"Gloom, let's go," called Ronnie, releasing her Pokémon. Connor groaned and buried his face in his hands. This was not going to end well. Bree was unaware that anything bad was about to happen and watched with great earnest as Ronnie's Gloom got itself into what it thought was a battle pose. Gwen laughed out loud as she saw Gloom doing a handstand instead of the Stun Spore move Ronnie had told Gloom to do. Ronnie's face dropped.

"Gloom, please don't start this now," she begged. Gloom took no notice of her trainer and instead practised her pirouette. Gwen shook her head.

"Now that's cute. Vaporeon, use Quick Attack," said Gwen in an almost bored voice. Vaporeon didn't hesitate and in one hit, Gloom was out for the count. Sighing heavily, Ronnie returned Gloom to her ball. She shouldn't have been so optimistic about Gloom, who hardly ever listened to Ronnie and preferred to do her own thing. No amount of begging, bargaining or bribing could get Gloom to do a word Ronnie told her. Ever. When he was certain that it was all over, Connor opened his eyes just in time to see Ronnie release her last Pokémon.

"_Uh, it's about time you brought me out! It's no picnic being cooped up in that tiny ball, believe me. Ooo, are we in a battle? Let's get started then!" _the Haunter said cheerfully, using telepathy. Amina was just as much Ronnie's Haunter as she was Connor's as they had been given her together. But that was a lifetime ago. Ronnie told Amina to use Shadow Punch and she obeyed – unlike Gloom – and Vaporeon was knocked out before Gwen could say 'dodge'. Fuming, Gwen released her fourth and last Pokémon: Jolteon.

"This is where it all goes down," said Gwen, trying not to show how worried she was about losing.

"_Pfft, you call that a Pokémon?"_ scoffed Amina. _"I've seen scarier light bulbs!"_

"Amina..." warned Ronnie. They had talked about unnecessary insults before. Ronnie then told Amina to use Shadow Ball and Amina dutifully hurled a shadowy blob at Jolteon, who was promptly rendered unconscious. Seething that she had lost the battle, Gwen returned her Jolteon to its ball and handed over some money to Ronnie for winning before storming out of the Union Cave. Connor, Ronnie and Bree followed Gwen's lead – minus the storming – but stopped when Ronnie ceased walking suddenly.

"I nearly forgot..." she murmured to herself, pulling out Amina's Pokéball.

"_Do you have to?"_ whined Amina. Ronnie nodded.

"You know it's not safe," she said in a low voice so that Bree couldn't hear. Ronnie quickly returned Amina to her ball before she could complain some more about the small living quarters she was forced into once more.


	2. Blast from the Past

Blast from the Past

Connor, Ronnie and Bree had travelled the short distance west along Route 33 without incident and had arrived in Azalea Town. It was only a small town and the three of them were torn between wanting to stay – it would be easy to stay hidden in such an isolated town – and wanting to leave as soon as possible: three teenagers like them would stick out like a sore thumb. They decided to go to the Pokémon Centre first to heal the fainted Pokémon before making any choices concerning their plans next. The Nurse Joy smiled at the teens as she worked to bring the three Pokémon back to full health. They were clearly not from around there and Nurse Joy enjoyed seeing visitors in her home town: it wasn't often that they came. Ronnie thanked her when she gave back the balls and handed Pinsir's back to Connor.

They were about to turn away from the front desk when Bree froze, a small squeak escaping from her lips. Concerned, Ronnie and Connor asked her what was wrong. Even Nurse Joy looked worried and asked if there was anything she could do. Bree shook her head vigorously with her eyes scrunched up and fled the Centre. Ronnie chased after her immediately but Connor hung back. Chansey wandered in from the back room and wanted Nurse Joy's assistance so she left the front desk in order to help the round Pokémon. It was then that Connor saw what had freaked Bree out so much that she had run off.

Behind Nurse Joy, on the board hanging from a nail on the wall was an A4 missing poster that had curled with age of a young girl of about eleven. It was a black-and white photograph but it was easy to see that she had tanned skin, light hair and wasn't a fan of smiling. There was a reward of one hundred Pokémon Dollars if anyone had any information concerning her whereabouts, with significantly more if they actually found her. Connor hadn't seen so many zeros in his life. After looking over his shoulders to check that no-one was around, Connor jumped over the desk and tore the poster down before casually strolling out of the Pokémon Centre.

He found Bree and Ronnie down by the Slowpoke Well. Bree was crouching behind it, hugging her knees to her chest and Ronnie was standing beside her, one hand on the old stone that made up the well and the other tentatively patting Bree's head in what was supposed to be a soothing manner. Connor showed Ronnie the poster and she read it aloud.

"Residents of Johto, we have placed similar posters all over this region in the hope of finding our beloved daughter. She ran away in the summer of 2007 and we have yet to find any leads. If anyone has any information concerning her whereabouts, please contact us via the number below. You will be rewarded with one hundred Pokémon Dollars. If you find our daughter, we will easily pay you..." Ronnie's eyes bulged as she took in the large sum of money. It was enough to live the rest of her life in serious comfort. She glanced at Bree briefly and saw that the younger girl was purposely looking elsewhere. Ronnie continued to read.

"She's fairly shy, so be gentle when you approach her. Her name is Breanne Thompson-Brown..." Ronnie trailed off, having read enough. The name, the picture, Bree's reaction. It was all so self-explanatory.

"This is you, isn't it?" asked Connor. Bree nodded, avoiding eye contact. Ronnie folded the poster up and shoved it into her bag. Suddenly, Bree got to her feet. Her eyes were moist and desperate.

"Please don't send me back!" she begged. Ronnie and Connor assured her they weren't going to do anything like that. They did want to know what had made Bree run away from parents who clearly cared about her though. Bree wouldn't say. She was determined for them not to know.

It was decided among them that it wasn't safe to be in a town this small if Bree didn't want to get found. They gathered their stuff up and left Azalea Town instantly, heading towards Ilex Forest. They figured Bree's parents wouldn't bother sticking up posters in a forest as dense as Ilex so they'd be relatively safe there for a while. Connor reasoned that Bree's missing posters hadn't been an issue before because she'd been travelling with such a big group that no-one had noticed yet another short teenage girl.

As soon as they stepped into Ilex Forest, they were struck by how dark it was. They felt as if they had jumped ahead a few hours and now it was night. The dim lighting was a result of how tightly packed in the trees were. Subconsciously the three of them moved closer to each other, afraid of getting separated and lost in this vast forest. They cautiously followed the faded path, winding this way and that through Ilex Forest. Some parts of the path were covered in thick, tall grass which had to be waded through. Wild Pokémon cries could be heard all around, making for an eerie atmosphere. It would have been hard going for any normal trainer but Ronnie, Connor and Bree were now experienced in walking long distances that weren't necessarily easy to travel and so weren't intimidated by the challenge. They had come a long way when the sound of their stomachs rumbling could no longer be ignored so they stopped to have a break and eat. Sandwiches and crisps were shared among them, washed down with water from the flasks they had prepared.

Behind some bushes off to one side, two pairs of eyes were watching the trio with keen interest. Jealousy and hunger were evident in their eyes as they followed the food as it went from the hands of the teenagers to their mouths. They could go on a raid and steal all food provisions they had but they estimated that hunger would make them sloppy. They would almost certainly fail any attempt at quick thievery. The two of them would just have to wait until they arrived in the next city – how ever long that would take. One of them leaned forward and a twig snapped underneath their boot.

Bree's sharp ears picked up the sound and looked around anxiously. When she saw no movement, she dismissed it as a wild Pokémon. There had to be thousands of them around here. That thought, oddly enough, didn't make her feel better and Bree shuffled closer to Connor. In the bushes, the mysterious couple were glaring at each other for nearly getting caught out by a younger person. Neither knew who was to blame but wasn't willing to admit to anything. Glaring turned to nudging, nudging turned to shoving and pretty soon they were tumbling out of the bushes and in front of the surprised picnickers. Ronnie yelped out and Connor leapt to his feet, hands at his bag in case he needed to release any of his Pokémon. Bree had hastily pulled her hood far over her head in an attempt to conceal who she was.

The two spies jumped to their feet and dusted themselves off; trying to maintain what little dignity they had left. One was a tall boy with shaggy mouse brown hair and light blue eyes. He was wearing a yellow and white open collar sleeveless top, black wristbands, black trousers and yellow boots. He tossed his hair out of his eyes nonchalantly. The other was a short girl with skin even darker than Bree's. She had soft black hair that was tied into two long bunches and dark eyes. Matching well with her counterpart, the girl was wearing a v-necked black vest, yellow skirt, long white socks under yellow and white boots and long black gloves with a gold design. They both seemed to be Connor and Ronnie's age and so weren't immediately seen as a threat.

"Can we help you?" asked Ronnie, raising her eyebrows slightly. She hadn't seen two people dress so ridiculously in a long time. It reminded her of the old days...A light bulb seemed to flash above the dark skinned girl's head and she spun around to whisper furiously in her partner's ear, tiptoeing so she could reach. His expression changed from solemn to utter shock as the girl confided in him. Connor had a bad feeling.

"Whoa. You've definitely changed since we last met!" the girl said to Ronnie, effectively confusing her. Ronnie didn't know anyone except for the teenagers who followed Clyde and they were on the other side of the Union Cave right now. Where did she know this girl from? At Ronnie's blank face, the girl smirked familiarly.

"Oh come on, _Daphne_! You don't think a little blonde dye is enough to fool me, do you? That goes for you too, Conan," she said. Ronnie and Connor's heart sank. How did this girl know their previous names? The names they had tried so hard to bury? Were they – ?

"Don't think us stupid!" added the girl's companion in a heavy accent. It suddenly clicked into place.

"Vivian and Massimo," spat Connor. At least they'd done away with the weird pirate look they used to favour. The two grinned.

Bree had no idea what was going on. She didn't know the relationship between the four teenagers or why Ronnie and Connor had been called by the wrong names. She was even more intimidated than usual and felt herself consciously shrink away from the confrontation, hugging her arms around her body and looking no higher than knee level. Vivian and Massimo began to have a minor squabble in hushed tones, missing the look of utter contempt on Connor's face and the pure fear instilled on Ronnie's. She couldn't believe they had found her. She wondered if they knew about what had happened two years ago...

Finally coming to a unanimous conclusion, Massimo and Vivian retraced their steps a few paces back and struck poses. Vivian had one hand in the air and the other clasped her hip while Massimo had his arms folded with a smirk fixed on his pretty-boy face.

"We, the great Team Rocket agents Massimo and Vivian, challenge you to a tag battle!" they said in unison, demonstrated a complicated routine of poses before finishing off by pointing with opposite hands and Ronnie and Connor. Ronnie visibly relaxed. They clearly had no idea why she and Connor had dyed their hair, changed their names and didn't contact anyone they used to know. That was a relief. A tag battle, Ronnie could handle. Connor also didn't see the harm in it and so it was decided. One Pokémon each would be the limit. When asked if she would referee the match, Bree looked alarmed and shuffled even further away from them, pulling her hood over her eyes more. She watched from a distance as Vivian and Massimo released a Beedrill and Misdreavus respectively. In response, Ronnie and Connor let out Amina and Connor's Kadabra.

"_Wow, I'm beginning to feel popular. Two battles in one day? And hey, don't I know you two?"_ said Amina, her motor-mouth not stopping for an instant. Vivian and Massimo didn't respond to Amina and instead made their first move. Beedrill was made to use Pursuit on Amina, which as a Dark move did more damage than it would on another Pokémon. Immediately after Amina was attacked again by Misdreavus who had been ordered to use Psybeam, the mystical swirl of colours shooting Amina painfully. Vivian looked pleased and whispered loud enough to be heard to Massimo that she really didn't like Amina; Massimo chuckled.

Outraged, Ronnie told Amina to use Shadow Ball on Misdreavus and though Vivian yelled for him to dodge, it was too late. The impact was great and left Misdreavus barely strong enough to maintain standing – even though he managed it. Kadabra was commanded to use his own Psybeam attack against Beedrill and, like Misdreavus', was extremely successful. Beedrill was then told to counter with Toxic Spikes, leaving a layer of the poisonous thorns at Amina and Kadabra's feet. Kadabra had yet to be hit with a physical move so Misdreavus' Astonish move was then directed at him. Beedrill's next release of Toxic Spikes effectively and seriously poisoned Kadabra; Amina remained unaffected. Kadabra swayed on his feet and it didn't exactly help that he had a weak leg to start with.

Amina's next move – Sucker Punch – was met by a surprise. Misdreavus, her original target, had vanished and in his place was an Electrode. Amina screeched to a hault, mid-attack. She was confused and looked around to see Misdreavus standing off to one side along with a Donphan and Cloyster. Connor's bad feeling returned.

"Now if you don't mind, come with us. There's a hefty reward for bringing back the two teenagers who murdered that alcoholic man in Kanto and well, we'd like to claim it," said Vivian airily, brandishing two sets of handcuffs. Ronnie's chest tightened: her worst fears had been confirmed. She scrambled for Connor's hand with both of hers, clutching on to it tightly. Connor scoffed.

"Like there's anything you can do to make us go with you," he said disbelievingly. Even with all their Pokémon, Vivian and Massimo would be outnumbered by his and Ronnie's, more so if Bree let hers out. They still had the advantage in this situation.

"We make Electrode do Explosion move, that's what we do," replied Massimo with an evil smile. Bree whimpered. She'd heard of Explosion, how only really strong Pokémon could learn it and how it was immensely powerful. They'd be in a lot of pain if Massimo was being serious.

"Yo-you wouldn't," Connor accused, not very certain himself.

"Wouldn't we?" smiled Vivian. "These aren't just any ordinary clothes you know. They're custom-made – one hundred percent electric proof." Connor gulped. Maybe they would. They had obviously planned this. Amina, Bree and Kadabra slid closer to Connor and Ronnie. All five of them were scared. None of them wanted to get blown up by Explosion – that was a given. Ronnie hadn't even meant to kill her father – it had been an accident. Still, she doubted anyone would believe that. She felt that she, Connor and Amina had been travelling for too long to get turned in by a pair of teen Team Rocket grunts whom they used to be friends with simply because they wanted the money.

Ronnie hated that Massimo and Vivian had just turned up out of the blue and ruined everything. But maybe she could save Connor? After all, it hadn't been his fault. He had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Then he had decided to stick with her even though it was dangerous. Connor could have easily abandoned Ronnie when things got tough – but he hadn't. He had given up his family for her: his mum, dad and his little sister. Ronnie knew that he sent them money every so often but never wrote to them in case their mail was behind traced. She felt bad for putting him through that but Connor always insisted that she was worth it. He never once complained or made Ronnie feel guilty for putting him through such hardship.

He was such a good friend.

Ronnie made the decision there and then to make a deal with her captors: take just her rather than all of them. That was all the police needed for the reward anyway. As she was opening her mouth to offer the deal, Connor got there first.

"Kadabra, use Teleport!"

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**Note: Sorry it took so long! College T_T And I'm lazy. So sue me! :D Actually, don't...You wouldn't get very much money...**


	3. Spilling All

Spilling All

They were in Mahogany Town and miraculously all of them had made it there: Connor, Ronnie, Bree, Amina and of course, Kadabra. It was a quiet, relaxed sort of town and it made Connor feel comfortable. After thanking Kadabra for teleporting them to safety, he returned the Pokémon to his ball and took in his surroundings. There wasn't a lot to take in; just a Pokémon Centre, Gym, a single shop and a few houses. Ronnie was immensely relieved that Connor had jumped in like that. If she was brutally honest, she didn't really want to spend the rest of her life rotting in jail. She was only sixteen and liked to think she could do anything she wanted – provided no-one recognised her.

Bree was eyeing the older teenagers suspiciously. It had become clear to her back in Ilex Forest that she wasn't the only one with a secret. Bree's first impression of Ronnie and Connor hadn't been all that great: she'd depicted them to be a typical, honest couple who were either bored or thought hanging out with Clyde would make them 'cool'. Clearly, Bree had been very wrong.

Connor and Ronnie weren't a couple. There was nothing typical about them. And they had a secret. Suddenly, they seemed rather cool by themselves to fourteen year old Bree and she looked at them now with newly awakened admiration in her eyes. Then she realised they had been lying to her all this time and the admiration faded to make way for an altogether different emotion.

"What's going on?" asked Bree with a hint of resentment in her voice. Connor broke eye contact with a fairly cute brunette girl walking with her family and a Hoot-Hoot. He decided to look out for her later if there was time.

"_Hang on – where's Clyde and everyone else?"_ asked Amina, confused. As usual, she was ignored. Connor debated internally over whether or not he should tell Bree the truth or leave her hanging. It wasn't as if she had told him the reason why she was on the run, but maybe that wasn't fair. Bree probably had some horrible, dark past that she didn't want to share in case he and Ronnie thought badly of her. Connor thought for a moment. What could be worse than running away from a(n accidental) murder? Nothing sprung to mind and Bree appeared far too innocent to be a serious criminal.

"It's complicated," was the reply Connor deemed acceptable. Judging by the slight frown on Bree's face, she didn't think it was. She tried to pursue the matter, hoping that if she wheedled just enough, Connor would break and tell her everything. Folding his arms across his chest, Connor remained firm in his resolve not to say anything. Besides, he reasoned to himself, it wasn't really his place to say anything to Bree. That was up to Ronnie since it was really her business. Speaking of Ronnie, where was she?

The three of them – Amina included this time – noticed that Ronnie had slipped off. That wasn't like her. Normally she stuck to Connor's side like glue, terrified of losing him. Why and where had she gone? Worried, Connor and Bree immediately began searching for her, with Amina floating alongside them saying helpful things like '_we'll never find her'_ and '_she's probably been kidnapped'_. Wishing he had her Pokéball so he could silence her, Connor tried to tune out Amina's comments. He led Amina and Bree to the Pokémon Centre – Bree hid underneath her hood once again – where he asked the Nurse Joy there if she had seen a girl fitting Ronnie's description. Holding in her squeak, Bree noticed that there was another poster of her hanging behind the desk. She hoped that if she didn't attract any attention to herself then no-one would notice. Nurse Joy was sorry to say she hadn't seen Ronnie but promised to keep an eye out for her. Thankfully, she didn't match up Bree with the picture behind her.

Beginning to panic ever so slightly, Connor thanked Nurse Joy and rushed outside with Bree hot on his tail. Next to the Pokémon Centre was the town's gym and standing just outside was an old man in a long blue trench coat with a white scarf hanging loosely around his shoulders. His eyes lit up when he spotted Connor and Bree and he beckoned them towards him. Connor was unsure about approaching him – his mind was focused on finding his best friend – but when he considered the idea that the man may have seen Ronnie, Connor readily walked over to him with Amina at his side. Bree followed less enthusiastically; she was still worried about being recognised.

"Pokémon have many experiences in their lives, just like we do. I, too, have seen and suffered much in my life. Since I am your elder, let me show you what I mean. I have been training Pokémon since before you were born. I do not lose easily. I, Pryce – the Winter Trainer – shall demonstrate my power!" Connor raised his eyebrows as Pryce threw a Pokéball in the air and released a Seel. Did this old man want to have a Pokémon battle? Amina became excited at the prospect of battling although Connor was sorry to disappoint them both.

"Listen, I'm kind of in a rush. Have you seen a girl about this high," Connor gestured with his hand, "with long blonde hair? She's dressed all in pink." Pryce looked disheartened – he hadn't had a battle with a trainer for _months_ – and pointed in the direction of Route 42. Grateful, Connor thanked Pryce and rushed off with Bree and Amina close behind him. They happened to go past the cute brunette Connor had been making eyes at earlier but he completely missed the smile she shot at him. He was concentrating so hard on finding Ronnie that he failed to notice the girl's upset face when he zoomed past her without a second glance. All Connor cared about just then was finding his best friend.

Route 42 was filled with young trainers battling an assortment of fishermen, hikers and what could only be described as 'Poké maniacs' – over enthusiastic geeks who dressed as their favourite Pokémon on a daily basis. Connor weaved in and out of them recklessly, making it difficult for Bree to keep up with him. Amina didn't have a problem: she just floated through whoever was in her way.

Inevitably, Bree lost sight of Connor and Amina. Heart thudding wildly, her eyes darted around, looking for someone she recognised. There was no-one. Bree didn't know what to do. Should she stay put or look for the others? Gulping quietly, Bree took a few tentative steps forward. When that proved to be less dangerous than she had initially feared, Bree took a few more steps forward, faster this time. Her speed increased until she was running, not looking where she was going but just doing something so she didn't completely freak out about being lost. There were so many Pokémon around – and some of them were huge!

"Wah!" cried out Bree as she lost her footing and almost toppled head-first into a lake that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. A pair of hands grabbed the back of her jumper, holding her back from falling. They pulled Bree up and when she turned to them, she was immensely relieved to see Connor, Ronnie and Amina's faces grinning at her. Connor then demanded to know why Ronnie had run off like that and Ronnie's smile slipped from her face. She suddenly discovered how interesting the grass beneath their feet was, since that was all she was looking at.

"I thought you'd be safer without me. People are looking for me – I'm a criminal. It's not fair on either of you: Connor, you had nothing to do with the _incident_ and Bree, you've got your own reasons for not wanting to be found. It just...made sense for me to leave you two to it," mumbled Ronnie to her pink boots. Connor's expression softened and he put an arm around Ronnie's shoulders.

"Trust me when I say that if I wanted to desert you, I would have done it a long time ago!" said Connor with a friendly smirk. Ronnie smiled appreciatively at Connor. It was like he always knew the right thing to say. Connor wasn't going to leave Ronnie and he decided that the sooner she got that through her head, the better. He didn't want another running off episode.

"And _why_ are people looking for you? What crime did you commit? How long have you been on the run anyway?" asked Bree eagerly. Ronnie and Connor looked down at her in surprise. They hadn't heard her speak so loudly or say so much all in one go. Clearly this was something that interested her greatly. Unlike Connor, Ronnie didn't think there was a problem with telling a fourteen year old about her past – she remembered that it had all began when she was Bree's age anyway. Connor had been considering his little sister when Bree had questioned him previously about why he and Ronnie were on the run. Tate was only a few months older than Bree and Connor couldn't help wondering how he would feel if she was told such a shocking real life story. Connor realised how different Bree was to Tate: Tate was loud, annoying and cheerful. Even so, Bree reminded him of his little sister.

By the time Connor had finished going over all this in his mind, Ronnie had begun to explain to Bree the circumstances surrounding her and Connor. Amina was busily dying of boredom.

"...and our coaches at the training school sent us to Kanto once we had passed. We went to my alcoholic father's house and when he tried to force some alcohol down my throat I pushed him. He fell, hit his head on the coffee table and died. Connor and I changed our names, dyed our hair and haven't looked back ever since." Obviously, Ronnie had given Bree a shortened version that was less graphic than the real thing. It didn't stop Bree from being stunned into silence – not that silence was unusual for her.

Ronnie's story was hard to take in and Bree was doing so painfully slowly. She had been travelling with two teenagers whose goal had once been to join Team Rocket. Amina, their Haunter, had been owned by the notorious group. Any previous thoughts that they were cool were now flung far from Bree's mind. She didn't know what to think about them anymore. Her parents had drilled it into her mind how dangerous Team Rocket was. A part of her knew that Connor and Ronnie were still the same kind teenagers who hadn't deserted her the moment they had been separated from Clyde, but Bree also knew that they had run from a murder – however unintentional it had been. Bree didn't know whether she could trust them anymore. With a start, it hit Bree that she did trust them – or used to, anyway. They had been so dependable and caring towards her. Bree had respected them. Now? Not so much. Unsure that she wanted to travel with them after hearing the truth, Bree faltered.

Ronnie was beginning to regret telling the younger teen why she and Connor lived the way they did: it was clear from Bree's face that it wasn't easy to hear. Connor tried to feel bad for Bree but found that he couldn't. It most likely had something to do with the girl who was smiling directly at him as she approached the group. She had black hair tied up in two spiky bunches on top of her head and shining green eyes. She was wearing a black top under a dark green jacket, light blue shorts, large brown boots and fingerless white gloves. A light brown satchel bag hung across her body in which, judging by the bulges, some Pokéballs were stored. A Marowak stood at her side, brandishing its bone testily. Amina wondered if there was a possibility of a battle. She'd already had two today and was looking forward to her next fix.

"Hey, are you alright over here?" she asked, her eyes never leaving Connor for a moment. Ronnie could tell instantly that she fancied him.

"We're good thanks," replied Connor, forgetting completely about the cute brunette girl from earlier. He found this girl stunning to look at. Bree looked from Connor to the black haired girl and couldn't see the attraction. The girl was dressed weirdly for one and her legs were incredibly pale for another – unlike Bree's tanned ones. The girl nodded, undeterred.

"Okay. I just thought you needed help crossing the lake," she said amicably. Ronnie saw an opportunity. None of them owned any Water-type Pokémon and she didn't see anywhere where they could have access to a boat. If the girl wanted to help them get across – presumably because she thought Connor was good looking – then Ronnie didn't have a problem with that. Before Connor could decline the girl's offer, Ronnie jumped in and said that that was exactly what was happening with them.

Overjoyed to help Connor out – Ronnie and Bree were just in the way, as far as she was concerned – the girl returned her Marowak and released a Lapras straight into the water. Climbing on first, she introduced herself to Connor as Emma. The others quickly scrambled on to Lapras' back – Ronnie returned Amina to her ball – and Lapras set off across the lake. It didn't take long to get to the other side but during that time, Emma had practically told Connor her life story. She was sixteen, came from Pewter City in Kanto and had been on her journey ever since she was eleven. She had an older sister who was married, a cousin who was gay and a ditzy best friend who owned an overweight Snorlax. Emma preferred strong Pokémon and loathed owning weak ones.

Something Emma didn't tell Connor but that he worked out for himself was: she talked a lot when she was nervous. Connor could tell she was nervous because her hands kept shaking and she continuously dusted down her spotless top. He found it adorable.

The lake was fairly small so they reached the other side pretty quickly. Even so, the sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky, alerting everyone that night was on its way. There was another lake on this side but Ronnie spied a pathway around the lake and they headed that way. Emma followed them for a while and an awkward silence ensued. Her Lapras was back in its ball by this time so she didn't have any Pokémon out, though she kept fiddling with the strap of her bag. Every so often Emma would glance anxiously at Connor.

It was a relief when a boy of around fifteen challenged Emma to a battle and she accepted. They bid her goodbye and Bree huffily marched ahead when Connor offered Emma a hug. He and Ronnie picked up their pace to keep up with Bree and they made their way through Route 42 with Bree leading. Behind her, Ronnie nudged Connor and winked suggestively.

"Emma seemed nice," she said, waggling her eyebrows at Connor, who to his credit remained cool.

"Yeah," he agreed off handily. Then he blew it. "Do you think she likes me? I mean, from a girl's point of view. Because I thought she did. I hope she did. I like her. She seems nice." Ronnie burst out laughing at Connor and assured him Emma was obviously smitten – for reasons she couldn't fathom.

"Oi," protested Connor, shoving Ronnie gently.

* * *

**Note: Phew! These chapters are quite a bit longer than in the first story. The thing about me is that I can't help but throw in some cameos here, there and everywhere! The gay cousin, best friend with pink hair and overweight Snorlax are all characters in my other story, _Tizzy's Challenges_. Which I just remembered is due for an update. Dammit!**


	4. Confessions and Love Lessons

Confessions and Love Lessons

It was really late when they finally made it into Ecruteak City, so late that they were doubtful about getting a room in the Pokémon Centre. Thankfully, there was a room available that had a bunk bed against one wall and a single bed opposite. The three teenagers gladly paid for the room and, after taking turns in the shower, went straight to bed. Bree was relieved to be sleeping in comfort – she was used to topping and tailing with the smallest girl who followed Clyde – and had bagsied the top bunk for herself. Bree hadn't realised before how exhausted she actually was and it wasn't long before her eyes were closing and she fell into a deep sleep. Connor and Ronnie on the other hand were wide awake.

"Ronnie?" whispered Connor into the darkness. He had the single bed. "Are you awake?"

"Nope." Connor propped himself up on one arm and stared in the direction of the bottom bunk. He couldn't see Ronnie but if he squinted, he thought he could just make out the shape of her body.

"I'm never going to see Emma again, am I?" Connor hadn't been able to stop thinking about Emma ever since they'd left her on Route 42. Under the cover of darkness, Ronnie rolled her eyes. She'd seen this with Connor plenty of times before. He'd meet a girl on their travels, fall hard and fast for her and then move on when he saw someone else, or enough time had passed. Frankly, Ronnie was getting tired of Connor's repetitive behaviour.

"Nope," replied Ronnie, hoping Connor would be quiet so she could go to sleep. She was really tired, though not enough to drop off while someone was talking. There was a lull in the conversation flow and Ronnie thought she was safe: maybe Connor had fallen asleep, leaving her free to do the same. She should have expected that to not be the case.

"Ronnie," Connor said in a barely audible voice. "Can you keep a secret?" Ronnie immediately became alert. There was just something about the word 'secret' that made her feel like an international spy – or someone really trustworthy. Either way, she knew she was about to find out something juicy. Ronnie was tempted to say 'nope' like she had to all the other questions Connor had asked her. Then she thought about the question.

"Of course I can," she hissed, offended that Connor even had to ask her. He should know that any secret of his was safe with Ronnie. Connor swallowed, mentally deliberating with himself whether or not he was doing the right thing. He came to the conclusion that he couldn't suffer in silence much longer and opened his mouth to just spit it out. Connor may have opened his mouth, but words didn't exactly pour out of it. In fact, nothing so much as trickled out: Connor remained silent.

"Well?" said Ronnie impatiently; the suspense was killing her. Connor cleared his throat. He tried to egg himself on. He could do this. What was he: a man or a Rattata?

"I've never kissed a girl," he said quickly and quietly, with his eyes closed. Connor waited for Ronnie's response, wincing slightly as she stretched the moment out longer than necessary. In fact, Ronnie was desperately trying not to break out into hysterical laughter. She made a noise that Connor thought was a sneeze – it wasn't – and buried her head in her pillow, urging herself not to let her best friend down. In the end, Ronnie had to think about her dead mum in order to bring her mood down.

"Erm, really?" said Ronnie, trying to sound like she hadn't been _this_ close to wetting herself with laughter.

"Yes, really!" despaired Connor. "I've never had a girlfriend either." Ronnie bit the inside of her cheeks, preventing her self from doing what her first instinct told her to: laugh long and loud. She couldn't believe that Connor, her Connor, master of flirting, had never had a girlfriend. He was sixteen for crying out loud!

"Ah. I see. Why are you telling me this by the way..?"

"I figured you'd have some advice," whispered Connor hopefully. Ronnie didn't know whether to be insulted or pleased by that. After careful consideration, she chose insulted.

"What, because I'm a girl?" she demanded in a quick rage, forgetting to whisper.

"No! I thought we might be in a similar situation..." Connor wasn't helping himself. If anything, he just dug himself in deeper. Ronnie glared into the darkness.

"For your information, I've had two boyfriends and I've kissed them both – multiple times!" she said hotly. On the top bunk, Bree stirred. Connor realised that he had offended Ronnie and hastily made an attempt to apologise; she cut him off before he could get past 'I didn't mean it lik–' by throwing her pillow at him. Miraculously, she managed a direct hit to Connor's head and he yelped in surprise. Connor grabbed Ronnie's pillow and lugged it back at her and, like it had done to him, it smacked her in the face. This achievement was most likely due to Connor's eyes adjusting to the dimness of the room.

"Oi!" hollered Ronnie, laughing. Someone in the room next door banged on the wall.

"Keep it down!"

"Yeah, we're trying to sleep!"

"I'll tell Nurse Joy!"

"Idiots! Be considerate of other people!"

Ronnie and Connor were embarrassed at having gotten so carried away and settled back down to sleep – after giggling nervously.

"G'night," they said simultaneously to each other.

xxxxxx

The trio of teenagers had wandered around Ecruteak City, seeing the sights and basically wasting time. They'd looked sadly at the Burned Tower, were rejected entry to the Bell Tower, committed sly thievery in the PokéMart and were now watching five girls in kimonos dancing in the Kimono Dance Theatre. Bree had barely spoken a word to Ronnie and Connor all day and though they were concerned, they didn't mention anything to her. They understood that it would take Bree a while to fully trust them again after learning the truth and they were both willing to give Bree all the time she needed. Connor and Ronnie could have easily forgotten about her, leaving her to fend for herself in the big wide world but for some reason, they felt responsible for her. They couldn't just desert her when it seemed Bree needed them the most: they'd seen multiple posters of her around the city.

Bree took a sip of her drink subconsciously; absorbed in the dance the five girls on stage were performing. She found them compelling to watch. They moved so swiftly and with such precision. Each girl looked incredibly similar to the others and so it was nearly impossible to tell them apart – which only made the performance more thrilling to Bree. Bree had always wanted to dance on stage, in front of an audience like this.

Seeing that Bree was distracted, Ronnie leaned over and whispered something in Connor's ear. The music in the theatre was loud so no-one could have overheard her. However, the look on Connor's face said it all. His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly parted. Whatever it was Ronnie had said to him had clearly shocked him. The Kimono Girls finished their dance and the audience burst into applause, many of them cawing for an encore – Bree included. Connor clapped slowly, dazed. The Kimono Girls were exhausted after putting everything into their dance and promised to go on stage again after a break. In their absence, the host invited anyone with a talent to come up and show everyone what they had.

A stale comedian, a fairly good singer and an amazing impressionist later, Bree was standing nervously on the stage. Connor and Ronnie stared at her: they hadn't even noticed her leave her seat. The host asked for her name, age and talent. Bree faltered.

"I-I'm Bre...Bridget, I'm fourteen and my talent is dancing." Ronnie and Connor didn't know what to think. Bree could dance? They decided to watch intently, ready to fight anyone who dared mock their friend.

Classical music filled the theatre and Bree got into a pose with one foot resting against the side of the opposite leg, her hands in the air and her head back. After several seconds, Bree broke out of her pose and smoothly produced three Pokéballs from her bag. A Quilava, Ledian and Mareep emerged from them. None of the Pokémon appeared startled at being released into such an unusual situation and took stances that suggested they were familiar with this routine.

The Ledian used Light Screen and a sparkling wall of light was put up in front of the four of them. Everyone 'ooh'ed as it shimmered brightly, casting a pretty light. Mareep then used Thunder Wave, producing an electrical charge that circled them which although weak, still looked awe-inspiring when in that small environment. All the while, Bree was prancing around elegantly on the stage, moving this way and that with such finesse. She was clearly a skilled ballerina and Ronnie and Connor couldn't help but feel proud to know her.

Finally, Quilava cloaked itself in fire with Flame Wheel. The heat that emitted from it hit the people sitting directly in front of the stage and they were immediately thrilled. Quilava worked so hard on the Flame Wheel that the ring was large enough for a small person to jump through – which they did. Bree took a running jump and leaped through the air, her legs straddled apart and her hands positioned daintily. She landed on the other side of Quilava on her toes.

The audience rose to their feet, cheering loudly and clapping animatedly. If they were being honest, none of them expected much from the scrawny tanned girl with the dyed hair – Ronnie and Connor included. However, they had been happily wrong about Bree and her performance. She was an instant sensation: everyone loved her. Bree returned her three Pokémon and took a modest bow before returning to her seat as if nothing had happened. Her dance was amazing – especially since it had all been done in skinny jeans.

A couple of strangers came up to Bree and told her how fantastic they thought she was; Bree blushed in response. She wasn't used to this much attention. Although she had practised ballet for many years, she had never once been in a public recital as something had always come up. Then the giddy Kimono Girls made their way over to Bree. All five of them looked astounded by her and could barely contain their excitement. They introduced themselves to 'Bridget' as Zuki, Naoko, Miki, Sayo and Kuni. They all felt very privileged to meet a skilled dancer such as 'Bridget'.

"Oh, you are truly a strong dancer," commented Naoko.

"You are wonderful..." said Kuni.

"Your Pokémon are good too," Miki added.

"Excellent form!" complimented Sayo.

"Sorry, but we must go on stage again. It was an honour to meet you. Perhaps later you can teach us some moves?" asked Zuki, as she ushered the others towards the stage. Bree wasn't sure if she could answer her anyway. She was overcome with sheer happiness. The Kimono Girls thought _she_ was a good dancer! Bree felt on top of the world. Never had she dreamed she could receive such a compliment. In her opinion, her dancing was nowhere near the same level as the Kimono Girls'. Bree felt light headed. She sat back in her chair, trying to take it all in.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?" asked Ronnie, dazzled. Bree shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

"I did ballet for eight years." And that was all Bree would say about it. Nothing Ronnie or Connor said got her to speak more about who paid for the lessons, where her Pokémon learned to do those sort of moves and what else she was hiding. This only served to remind Bree that although she was the one with secrets, it was Connor and Ronnie who were the ones who weren't to be trusted. However, now that she thought about it, Bree realised that it didn't bother her that much anymore. It still mattered of course but Bree felt that she could look past it for the time being. She didn't say any of this to Connor and Ronnie though, preferring to keep her opinions on the matter to herself.

An hour later, the Kimono Dance Theatre was closing. The Kimono Girls had asked Bree to teach them some moves and so she was allowed to stay backstage with them for a while. Connor and Ronnie had been politely but firmly asked to leave by not only the host but the hired bouncers too. Bree told them she'd meet them back at the Pokémon Centre later.

As it was barely even dark yet, Connor and Ronnie decided against resigning themselves to the Pokémon Centre. Instead, they hung out near the gym until they got curious and cautiously looked inside. It was extremely dark inside, lit up only by a few candles strategically placed so that ordinary people had no idea where the correct pathway was. Neither of them wanted to stay in there for long and they were about to leave again when Connor spied an Officer Jenny. He hastily pushed Ronnie back inside and closed the door to the gym after them. As it was so dark inside the gym they couldn't tell up from down and chose to stay rather close to each other, to prevent them from getting lost. Ronnie could feel Connor's breath on her neck and she cringed slightly.

"Do you mind breathing in a different direction?" she asked in a polite whisper. She didn't think talking at a normal level was the right thing to do in a place like this. Connor obediently turned his head to the side.

"About what you said earlier..." Connor gulped. "Did you mean it?" Ronnie was genuinely confused. She could scarcely remember anything that occurred before Bree got up on the stage to dance and so asked Connor to explain what he was talking about. Connor was just grateful that it was so dark otherwise Ronnie would have seen how deeply he was blushing.

"You said that if I wanted, you could give me," Connor coughed, "my first kiss." A slow smile spread across Ronnie's face as she remembered her offer. She had felt bad about laughing when Connor had confessed his secret and wanted to make it up to him. This was the only thing she could actually think of. She had convinced herself that it wouldn't be too hard; they both liked each other, knew each other.

"Oh yeah," said Ronnie, "I meant it. Why?"

"Well, don't you think it's kind of...weird? I mean, we're _friends_. We aren't attracted to each other – right?" asked Connor, suddenly worried that Ronnie was harbouring hidden feelings for him. His unsaid insinuation concerned Ronnie.

"Of course not!" she denied honestly. There was no way she was attracted to Connor. He was a reliable friend but totally transparent. She liked boys with a little more depth to them and he was about as shallow as a puddle. Besides, Ronnie had seen him first thing in the morning and needless to say, that wasn't a pretty sight. Connor was relieved to hear that from Ronnie.

"Good. So then why..?" he asked, still not getting it. Ronnie sighed exasperatedly.

"I'll kiss you and you'll receive the confidence that comes with having your first kiss. Then the next time you see a girl you like, you can easily go up to her and ask her out – saving all of us from listening to you ramble on about her," explained Ronnie testily. Connor frowned – not that Ronnie could tell – and took in what Ronnie had just said.

"You think I ramble on?" Ronnie began to say something along the lines of 'most definitely' when Connor shook his head and told her not to bother. Looking back, he realised he did have a tendency to babble about the girls he fell for. "So is it a fact then that kissing gives you confidence?"

"Sure," murmured Ronnie unconvincingly, pulling the front of Connor's shirt towards her. Her other hand snaked around the back of his head and their lips touched.

* * *

**Note: Descriptions of kissing - well, mine anyway - are always the same. So I didn't bother this time :)**


	5. Discovery

Discovery

"Wow," breathed Connor as he and Ronnie emerged from the Ecruteak Gym with red cheeks. "Wow wow wow wow wow."

"Could you give it a rest?" muttered Ronnie, avoiding Connor's eyes. She hadn't thought he would have such a big reaction to the kiss. Already Ronnie was regretting it, and it hadn't even been five minutes! Connor's eyes had stars in them as they walked from the gym to the Pokémon Centre. Ronnie's eyes were downcast as she put the whole experience to the back of her mind – or rather, tried to. It didn't help that Connor wouldn't shut up about it.

"That was just amazing!" he said enthusiastically. "I mean, if I'd known what I had been missing out on all this time..." Rolling her eyes, Ronnie led the way back to their room in the Pokémon Centre. She sat on Connor's bed – she would have sat on her own but that was made difficult by the top bunk being in the way – while Connor stood in the middle of the room, gazing dreamily off to space. Clearly he had been greatly affected by the kiss. For Ronnie, their kiss was nothing impressive. She'd experienced her fair share of kissing before and the one she had shared with Connor hadn't been the best – although truth be told, it hadn't exactly been the worst. Ronnie had, for a moment before the kiss, worried that it would spark some sort of _feelings_ towards Connor that she didn't necessarily want. He was good as a friend and Ronnie didn't want more than friendship from him. Thankfully, she needn't have worried as she didn't feel any different towards Connor than she did before the kiss.

"Feeling confident about the next time you see Emma?" asked Ronnie, deliberately distracting him from his current daydream. Connor's head snapped up and he looked at her, deliriously happy.

"Absolutely!" he nodded. Grinning, Connor poked Ronnie's shoulder. "And it's all thanks to you." Noting how joyful her friend was, Ronnie felt immensely proud that she had been the sole cause. He had done so much for her that it made Ronnie feel slightly better knowing she was able to give a little back. Ronnie gave the mandatory, 'oh shucks' response which Connor decided was far too modest to slip by him.

"I really mean it. Thanks," he continued, poking her again. Giggling because his poke had landed in a sensitive area in her stomach that evoked laughter, Ronnie poked Connor back but harder. Connor responded by shoving her shoulder and Ronnie, in turn, pulled Connor down on to the bed where she ruthlessly attacked him, via tickling. They fought like this for a good few minutes, both of them laughing hard.

That was until Nurse Joy came in the room and told them to keep the noise down, as several guests had already complained about them last night. Her face as pink as her hair, Nurse Joy was lost for words as she took in the sight: Ronnie was straddled on Connor's chest, pinning his arms down with one hand and poking him with the other as he begged for mercy. They stared embarrassedly at her before scrambling to their feet, apologising profusely to Nurse Joy. Nurse Joy smiled ruefully, shot them a knowing look and warned them to keep it down next time, leaving Ronnie and Connor to despair as she grabbed the wrong end of the stick. Before they could set her straight, Nurse Joy was gone. Ronnie glared at Connor.

"Thanks a lot!" she grimaced, flouncing into the bathroom to have a shower. Connor stared after her.

"You started it..!"

Bree arrived in their room about an hour later, a huge smile on her face. She had thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with the Kimono Girls; they reminded her of all her friends who used to be in her ballet class way back when. The Kimono Girls had been so friendly to Bree that she had actually found herself coming out of her shell a bit and communicating more than she ever did with Connor and Ronnie. Naoko had been particularly friendly with her and Bree felt a connection unlike any other with the experienced dancer.

Connor and Ronnie greeted Bree warmly, wanting to know all about her session with the Kimono Girls. She didn't say much but Connor and Ronnie got the impression that she had enjoyed herself with them and so was pleased for her. Once Bree had washed and changed like the other two, the three of them got into their respective beds with high hopes for the next day. Things had been looking up of late and Connor, Bree and Ronnie were feeling optimistic about what tomorrow would bring for them.

If only they had been a little more realistic.

xxxxxx

The next day was bright and sunny. There was a soft breeze in the air and it seemed everyone and their mum had come outside to enjoy the nice weather. Ronnie, Connor and Bree were traipsing around Ecruteak City, each with an ice cream in their hand. They were all in good spirits: Bree because of the Kimono Girls; Connor because of the kiss and Ronnie because, well, her friends were. Ronnie was feeling so good that she even let Amina out of her ball and the Ghost-type floated next to them, commenting on nearly everything with a sarcastic or insulting tone. It truly was a lovely day.

As they walked, Bree caught sight of Naoko walking in the direction of the Kimono Dance Theatre. They waved to each other, smiling. As Naoko entered the building, Bree noticed a couple of older teenagers walking proudly and purposefully through the city. As they got closer, Bree was able to take note of their individual features. The boy was taller than the girl and had skin as tanned as Bree's. His brown hair had been gelled into short spikes that stuck up from the green bandana tied around his head. He was wearing a green top under an unbuttoned grey shirt, black combat trousers and simple white trainers. He also had a face that looked like it frowned for a living. The girl meanwhile, was a good head shorter than the boy and a good deal paler. Similarly to the boy, her indigo locks were gelled into massive spikes – including her jagged fringe. She was wearing a black and grey kimono style top, a short grey skirt and dainty black shoes. Her small eyes were hidden behind a pair of rimmed glasses and her mouth was covered with a shocking red scarf.

For a moment, Bree thought they were marching towards her, Connor and Ronnie but quickly dismissed the idea. How would any of them know two people who blatantly looked like trouble? After glancing at her two companions – and Amina – Bree realised that maybe she had been too rash in her decision to dismiss the idea. Why else would they look so panicked? The two older teenagers stopped just in front of them, confirming any suspicions. Bree backed away, simultaneously pulling up her hood.

"_You're_ the ones?" the boy asked, sounding disgusted. "I was expecting someone a little bit...I don't know, older? More threatening? Not some Emo and a bimbo." Neither Connor nor Ronnie took offense at his comment, although they were probably meant to. Their hair dye hadn't been chosen to reflect their personalities – they had only picked what was cheapest at the time.

"Expecting?" echoed Connor, not afraid even though the boy was an imposing head taller than he was and looked like he knew how to fight dirty.

"Hold on," the boy said, as he got out his phone and dialled a number. Strangely, it didn't seem to call anyone and he replaced the phone to his pocket before turning back to answer Connor's question.

"Yeah, expecting. We've been helping some friends look for you...Conan and Daphne, am I right?" Ronnie's stomach dropped, as did her ice cream. Her dread must have shown on her face because the boy smirked, knowing he was indeed right. Pinching Connor's hand lightly and discreetly, Ronnie motioned that they should run. With the slightest of nods, Connor agreed and, grabbing hold of Bree's arm so she would get the message, they fled like wild Pokémon. Connor and Bree also dropped their ice creams in their rush to get away. Amina tailed after them, sticking her tongue out at the two stunned teenagers. The four of them managed to make it to Route 38 before they realised it was a trap.

"This was almost too easy," grinned Vivian. She and Massimo were standing with all their Pokémon around them: Beedrill, Misdreavus, Cloyster, Donphan and Electrode were all ready to attack. Groaning loudly, Connor tried to turn back but came face to face with the older teenagers who had all _their_ Pokémon out: Grovyle, Luvdisc, Glalie, Poliwhirl, Hoothoot and Arbok. So much for the good day they were having.

"_We surrender!" _wailed Amina hopelessly. She couldn't see any way out of this. They were obviously out-numbered. Amina's words earned a chuckle from the opposition who loved the feeling that came with having the upper hand.

"Nice work with the Locator, Miguel," praised Massimo. Miguel nodded his head.

"It was a piece of cake," he replied, waving the little device Connor had previously thought to be his phone. Upon closer inspection, it was a lot more complex than a simple mobile phone and Connor guessed it had somehow told Vivian and Massimo where to find them. Ronnie leaned closer to Connor.

"What are our options?" she whispered in his ear. Rather than tell her what he really thought – which was that they had no hope in hell of escaping – Connor released his two Pokémon. Ronnie hurriedly did the same and after a long hesitation, Bree also let out her Pokémon. Now the odds weren't exactly great but they were at least better than before. Vivian laughed cruelly.

"Aw, how cute: you want to try and beat us! Although this could be interesting; I'll even make it fair. Massimo and I will take on Daphne. Miguel and Kaoru can have Conan and the red head," said Vivian bossily. It wasn't the definition of 'fair' Daphne would have liked but she didn't have time to think about that just then, not when Massimo had already ordered his Misdreavus to use Psybeam on Amina. Beedrill aided Misdreavus with Pursuit and everything kicked off.

Cloyster and Donphan teamed up, attacking Ronnie's Sandslash, Scar, with Surf and Slam. Amina recovered from her attack enough to counter with Shadow Ball, striking both Beedrill and Misdreavus. Scar shakily got to his feet after being floored by both attacks and responded with one of his own: Crush Claw. Donphan was able to dodge it but Cloyster wasn't as agile and was hit. Ronnie watched in confusion as Gloom stared dopily at Electrode, not doing anything that looked remotely threatening. Electrode, likewise, was simply gazing at Gloom until Massimo nudged it with his boot which caused Electrode to roll forward. Gloom shrieked in surprise and turned sharply, running on her stubby little legs to get away. Ronnie averted her attention back to the real battle when she realised Gloom wasn't even smart enough to run off to the side – she was running in the direct path that Electrode was rolling. Ronnie looked back just in time to see her two intelligent Pokémon get tag-teamed by Vivian and Massimo's ruthless ones. She winced at the matching looks of pain displayed on Amina and Scar's faces. Ronnie broke her eyes away from the terrible scene to see if Connor and Bree were doing any better than she was. It wasn't good news.

While Ronnie, Scar and Amina – Gloom didn't deserve to be included – had been getting beaten by Massimo, Vivian and their unstoppable Pokémon, Bree and Connor were being demolished by Miguel, Kaoru and their seemingly unimpressive but surprisingly overpowering monsters of destruction. Bree wasn't much of a trainer and as a result her Pokémon weren't used to battling. In fact, Bree could only remember battling once a few years ago – and it hadn't been a very successful match for her. Bree had forgotten all the rules of Pokémon battles and had no idea how they were supposed to work. Her Quilava was being thrown around by Kaoru's Poliwhirl. Mareep was finding it surprisingly difficult to get the upper hand to a Pokémon that was ordinarily weak to her Electric-type moves. Miguel's Luvdisc was good-spiritedly evading everything Mareep threw at her and at the same time was able to land every move she conjured up. Having the type advantage helped Kaoru's Hoothoot take down Bree's gentle Ledian and the Bug/Flying Pokémon was unconscious within moments.

Although he wasn't doing as badly as Bree, Connor and his two Pokémon weren't having the best of battles. Kaoru's Arbok was wrapped around Kadabra, preventing him from doing any moves. It also didn't help that Kadabra had been poisoned by the same Pokémon who had snaked around his body. As strong as Pinsir was, he was no match for both Glalie _and_ Grovyle – the poor Bug type was swaying dangerously on his feet as Glalie and Grovyle tactically struck him again and again. Connor was astounded when Kaoru suddenly launched herself at him too, knocking him heavily to the ground. It appeared that she was so caught up in the violence of it all that she simply couldn't resist not taking part. Connor groaned when Kaoru landed on top of him; for a small girl, she certainly was heavy. The impact of their fall had forced the crimson scarf to reveal Kaoru's mouth and Connor found himself staring at a pair of thin, pink lips that were twisted into a smirk that was made all the more frightening by the scar stretching from one side of Kaoru's face to the other.

"You're nothing but low life dirt," she hissed as she rose to her feet. "You make me sick." Kaoru then refocused on the battle with their Pokémon, directing them in a true dictator-like fashion. Confused and more than a little intimidated, Connor scrambled to his feet too and did his best to counter everything Kaoru and Miguel's Pokémon were hitting his with. Several gruelling moments passed and the same thought seemed to pass through the minds of Bree, Connor and Ronnie: they needed a miracle. They'd already lost Ledian and Gloom had run off somewhere with Electrode following her. The Pokémon still present were badly injured and their opposition weren't even breaking a sweat. Ronnie was so close to just giving it all up. What was a tiny bit more freedom compared with the health of their Pokémon? Maybe jail wouldn't be so bad...But then, knowing Vivian and Massimo, they wouldn't go straight to jail. Ronnie imagined that they'd be tortured first, for the sheer fun of it. That was something she wasn't looking forward to.

Then without warning, a dark-haired girl came running across Route 38 with a face that was harder than the brown boots on her feet. As she ran, she threw a variety of Pokéballs in the air, releasing her team. Charizard, Marowak, Lapras, Scizor and Jolteon all appeared at her side. Charizard aimed a Flamethrower attack at Vivian and Massimo's Pokémon and at the same time, Jolteon's Thunder hit Miguel and Kaoru's. They were either really lucky or really skilled to not hit any of the Pokémon that were engaged in battling the object of their attacks. Her Scizor used Slash on Beedrill while her Marowak used Bonemerang to hit Massimo, Vivian, Kaoru and Miguel on the head. Lapras' Ice Beam attack then froze the four foes to their spot.

The girl then recalled all her Pokémon – save for Charizard – and got Connor, Ronnie and Bree to do the same. She then urged them all to climb on her Charizard's back and before anyone knew what was happening, the four of them were flying high into the sky, away from the battle. Connor, who was sitting behind the girl, hugged her gratefully.

"Thanks for coming to our rescue like that," he called above the rush of the wind breezing by them. Connor forced himself not to look down – he didn't want to know how far away from the ground they were or he feared he might throw up. The girl turned back at him.

"It was my pleasure!" replied a grinning Emma, her eyes alive with excitement. Connor's heart melted and he smiled back stupidly. None of them seemed to care much that they'd forgotten Gloom on Route 38.

* * *

**Note: Buh-bye Gloom! *evil laugh* Points for the longest chapter so far?**


	6. The Plan

The Plan

"I don't think we should involve her in this."

"What? Why not?"

"_She'll only get in the way!"_

"What Amina means," said Ronnie, glaring meaningfully at the Haunter for saying something so tactless about the girl Connor was mad about, "is that Emma might get hurt. You wouldn't want that, would you?" Connor didn't even have to think about it before he had an answer.

"No! But...I do want to hang out with her – at least for a bit," he said, looking over Ronnie's shoulder to smile at Emma, who was sitting down at a table drinking milk with her Marowak. They were in MooMoo Farm which was on Route 39, which although dangerously close to Route 38 – in fact, it was only around the corner – was a necessary pit-stop for them. The MooMoo Milk that was served in MooMoo Farm helped Pokémon regain health and so Connor, Ronnie and Bree had ordered a pint for every one of their Pokémon. Emma saw Connor looking and waved cheerily, trying not to mind that the three of them were obviously talking about her. She figured that they were all close friends and were slightly wary of her, though she was a bit miffed that Connor had been the only one to thank her for rescuing them.

Ronnie could understand why Connor wanted to be with Emma, however short their time together would be. He liked her and it wasn't hard to see that she returned his feelings. Plus, after having his first kiss Connor might just have the confidence to ask Emma out. Still, it didn't make their situation any less risky. For all they knew, Vivian and Massimo along with their new allies Miguel and Kaoru could have been thawed out by a well-meaning passerby and could appear at any second. Ronnie didn't like their chances of escaping them a third time.

"_Ok, if she's going to tag along with us, can you do me a favour?"_ Knowing that it was Amina, Ronnie half-expected her to ask for something ridiculous, like a Nugget. For that reason, what came out of Amina's mouth next shocked them all: Connor, Ronnie and even Bree didn't see it coming.

"_Find out what gender that Marowak is: it's kind of cute in a mysterious way..."_said Amina. Three stunned faces stared back at her. Connor was the first to recover.

"Amina..." he began slowly. "Do you have a **crush** on Emma's Marowak?" Amina cleared her throat loudly and looked around to see if the Marowak was looking at her. It wasn't. In fact, Emma's Marowak thought Amina was a petty show-off and had been glaring at her – it was hard to tell though, since its face was covered. Amina denied having any 'crushes' on Marowak; rather unconvincingly too.

"What if it's a girl?" piped up Bree. Connor and Ronnie stared at her, surprised for two reasons. One: they had sort of forgotten she was there, she was that quiet and two: why the sudden interest? Amina hesitated before answering Bree's question.

"_If I did have a crush – and I'm not saying I do! – it wouldn't change anything."_

"Uh, guys? I think Emma's probably scared we're plotting against her or something..." mumbled Ronnie, as she caught the worry in Emma's eyes. They hastily returned to their table, none of them thinking much about what Amina had said. Well, Bree thought about it; quite a lot actually, particularly Connor and Ronnie's reaction. Which was er, nothing. They'd acted as if it was the most natural thing in the world for a Pokémon not to mind what gender their crush was, as if it were hardly worth registering really. It gave Bree a lot to mull over as she sipped at her pint of MooMoo milk through a straw.

Connor had managed to wangle a seat next to Emma – by subtly barging Ronnie out of the way who glared at him before sitting on the other side of the table with Bree – and was now doing his best not to look like a fool. Connor realised too late that he should have sat down opposite Emma; from where he was sitting now, he had an _excellent_ view of her right cheek and nose. It didn't help that when Emma asked him a question, he tried to reply with a mouth full of milk. It had spurted all over Emma's face and the table, causing Ronnie and Amina to hide their giggles behind their glasses of MooMoo milk. Bree kindly handed a napkin to Emma who wiped the milk off her face without commenting. Connor apologised over and over but Emma simply brushed it off.

Ronnie sighed to her self. If anything, Connor had become even more nervous around Emma after their kiss, not more confident. If things didn't pick up soon, Ronnie was never going to hear the end of it from him.

"Those were bad people back there, right?" asked Emma, speaking to Bree and Ronnie as well as Connor this time.

"Yeah," replied Ronnie. "They want Connor and me to go back with them so they can torture us and our Pokémon." She had never felt uncomfortable lying to someone before and that didn't exactly stop her now. Not even the way Connor was staring at Emma could change how easily Ronnie could lie. She'd been doing it for years now and had become quite the expert.

"How come?" asked Emma before slurping the last of her MooMoo milk up. Checking his mouth was empty, Connor came up with a story to tell Emma in place of the truth. He stuck to some elements of it though.

"I hope you don't look at us any differently but Ronnie and I used to be part of an evil group called Team Rocket. When we got out, they didn't like it and vowed to get us for it." Ronnie frowned at Connor. She didn't like that he was trusting Emma with part of the truth – she would have preferred he make up an entirely new story. They barely knew Emma and already Connor was telling her about their past. Even though it was a diluted version, Ronnie wasn't happy about it. It had taken them two years to tell Bree; Connor had only known Emma for two days! It was fair enough if he just told her that he used to be part of Team Rocket but he didn't have to drag Ronnie down with him. How did he know that Emma wouldn't do some research and find out what really happened? Then decided to turn them in..?

In the space of five minutes, Connor had managed to annoy Ronnie twice. She didn't know if she liked it when her best friend was in the vicinity of the girl he was currently crushing on, if this was how he acted. Ronnie preferred him to be less distracted. She was beginning to resent Emma.

"Oh. My friend used to be part of an evil organisation..." was all that Emma said. There was a tense moment of silence at their table. Connor and Ronnie waited for Emma's reaction while Bree stared anxiously at Emma. It occurred to Bree that if she could get over it then Emma should be able to as well, especially since Bree knew the raw version of the story.

"_What gender are yooouuuu?"_ yelled Amina, her frustration getting the better of her. The Marowak looked at her in surprise and frowned. It liked her even less for not being able to tell whether it was male or female.

"Maro," it replied snippily. Amina grinned.

"_A boy, huh? My name is Amina..."_ Amina was oblivious to the mutters of 'typical', head shakes and stifled laughter from the four teenagers as she flirted outrageously with Marowak who wanted nothing more than to crawl back inside his Pokéball to get away from the mouthy Haunter. Suddenly, Emma gasped 'I've got it' and slapped her hands on the table, startling Bree so much that she spilled her MooMoo milk – all over Connor.

"Oops..." Bree and Emma said in unison. Connor blinked through the milk and wondered how idiotic he must look to Emma. Ronnie offered him a wad of napkins and Connor wordlessly cleaned himself up the best he could, too humiliated to speak. When he thought he had wiped it all away, Emma leaned over and rubbed the side of his forehead where he had missed a spot. Their eyes met and they both blushed before Emma pulled back shyly. In a snap, Connor mentally decided that he didn't mind being publicly embarrassed if Emma looked at him like that again. Ronnie rolled her eyes: it seemed that everyone with the exception of her and Bree were getting some romantic attention. It was kind of getting under her skin.

"You were saying something?" Ronnie reminded Emma, drumming her fingers on the table restlessly. Emma's bright green eyes lit up like flares as her ingenious plan came back to her.

"You need to stay away from those Team Rocket people, right?" she said brightly.

"Yeaaah..." said Ronnie slowly, wanting Emma to get straight to the point.

"Well, why don't you move regions!"

"What?" squeaked Bree before she could stop herself. All faces turned to her and feeling the pressure unbearable, Bree hid herself under her hood and prayed that no-one could hear how loud her heart was pounding. She had never been outside the Johto Region in all her life and the very notion of it scared her to death. It was shame Bree was too shy to speak up, since Ronnie and Connor thought this was an excellent idea. They could travel to any region and start over, without worrying about Vivian and Massimo. They would have no idea where to begin looking for them.

"Emma, you're a genius!" praised Connor. Even Amina agreed it was a smart move. Emma grinned at them all.

"I'm sure you would have thought of it eventually," she said in an attempt to show some modesty. Emma wasn't a humble person by design though and her obvious pleasure at being held so highly in their minds shone through like a beacon. Bree wasn't sure she could breathe properly – not that anyone took any notice of her. They were too busy perfecting Emma's plan. It was decided that they would walk to Olivine City, spend the night there and in the morning, board a ship. With that settled Ronnie and Connor couldn't wait to get started and ushered everyone out of MooMoo Farm. They walked down Route 39's pathway with Bree lagging behind forlornly. She wanted to tell them how much she was dreading this move but couldn't face ruining their good moods. For the first time in ages, Ronnie's smile wasn't guarded or forced; it was natural and wide. Bree just couldn't do it to her.

It was as they were walking down the steps that led to the second half of Route 39 that Amina voiced what had been niggling at the back of Ronnie's mind for some time now. They'd forgotten to grab Gloom when they had made their quick getaway. Ronnie smacked her forehead and realised how irresponsible she must come across to Emma. Not that it mattered. Connor reasoned that it had probably been for the best: Gloom did nothing but get in their way and was, to put it kindly, a useless Pokémon. She'd be happier in the wild.

"Excuse me, but would one of you have a battle with me?" asked a pudgy boy whose oversized black t-shirt depicted a Pikachu face on the front. Emma stepped forward and gladly accepted the challenge. Ronnie wanted to keep going until they reached Olivine City but Emma's face had morphed into one of sheer determination: she wouldn't leave until she had beaten this unsuspecting trainer. Emma had always been a ruthless trainer and could never refuse a battle. She strived for victory.

As the boy only had one Pokémon, it looked like it was going to be a short match and Ronnie talked herself into not getting too annoyed. Connor stood at Emma's side, rooting for her enthusiastically while Ronnie and Bree hung back. Since Emma had decided to use her Marowak, Amina was next to Connor and was cheering Marowak on loudly, much to his annoyance. The boy released his Raichu and the battle commenced. Emma didn't wait around; she ordered Marowak to use Boneclub followed by Headbutt. By the time the Raichu was reeling from the two attacks, it was very weak from both hits and could barely stand steadily. The boy's face paled as he realised too late he had underestimated the level of his opponent. He weakly called for his Raichu to attack Marowak with Quick Attack and straight after being hit, Marowak retaliated with Bonemerang. The end result was that the Raichu had been knocked out in just three hits. Smug about her easy win, Emma patronisingly shook the boy's hand before taking over one hundred Pokémon Dollars for her winnings.

"Shall we keep going?" Emma suggested as she walked off. Connor stared dreamily after her, amazed by her performance. To him, Emma was even hotter when she was focused on taking down an unsuspecting opponent. He followed her in a daze, even more attracted to her than ever. Amina's behaviour towards Marowak wasn't much better. Shaking her head, Ronnie trailed behind, almost in step with the straggler Bree. Maybe Ronnie would have noticed how Bree was feeling then, if it hadn't been for the wild Shinx that came bounding out from the grass and glued itself to Ronnie's leg. It rubbed its head against her pink boot and seemed to be purring with delight.

Ronnie stopped walking and looked down at the Shinx worriedly. Why was it so attached to her? It had only just laid eyes on her! Ronnie tried to shake it off her leg but the Shinx clung to her tightly, unwilling to leave her be. Bree came up behind Ronnie and gave a faint smile.

"Someone has a friend..." she said quietly. Panicked, Ronnie called out for Connor's help. He turned around and, when he saw the new addition to Ronnie's outfit, began laughing. This got Emma's attention and she also looked at Ronnie, who was holding her leg out as if she had something dirty on it.

"What do I do?" wailed Ronnie. Emma scrambled in her satchel and produced a standard red and white Pokéball that she had spare. She tossed it to Ronnie, who just about managed to catch it. Emma simply said 'it's yours now' and Ronnie immediately knew what she meant. The Shinx wanted to be her Pokémon and so the only thing for Ronnie to do would be to capture it. Ronnie nodded in understanding and wordlessly confined the clingy Shinx in the borrowed Pokéball. It clicked shut and was still. Ronnie now had a Shinx she didn't want.

Well, it was at least a step up from the Gloom she hadn't wanted.

* * *

**Note: I honestly hate this chapter. There's too much talking and not enough action, so I threw in that quick battle. It didn't help much...**


	7. The Date

The Date

The four of them had just booked two separate rooms in Olivine City's Pokémon Centre but for once, Ronnie and Connor weren't going to sleep in the same room. Connor felt that Emma would think it a bit suspicious if she knew they were accustomed to sharing a room and so he had a tiny room all to himself. The three girls would share a larger room down the hall from Connor's. Ronnie didn't know how she felt about this. It wasn't that she was jealous, exactly, more like she felt that Emma was taking her friend away from her. She had grown accustomed to spending the majority of her time with Connor and now he was looking to put some space between them, Ronnie wasn't sure if she was ready for that. However, Ronnie couldn't say anything like this because not only was there never a good time – Emma was always around – but it sounded more than a little selfish. So Ronnie kept quiet.

It was getting late now; the sun was sinking outside and the sky was dyed blood red with streaks of pink running through it. Everyone was in their respective rooms and Ronnie had released her newly captured Shinx so that she could give it her full attention. As soon as it saw her, it pounced on Ronnie so that she was knocked to the ground where the Shinx proceeded to rub its head against her. There was no denying how strongly it was attached to Ronnie, although the same could not be said for the sixteen year old. She froze up when she felt the Shinx snuggling up to her and Ronnie whimpered quietly: she wasn't an affectionate person at the best of times.

"_Isn't that just adorable?"_ laughed Amina, enjoying seeing Ronnie look so uncomfortable. Bree was also grinning at the scene but as she was sitting on the top bunk, no-one really took any notice of her. Unlike the older teenagers, Bree had already washed and changed into her pyjamas and was busy trying to keep out of their way. She still hadn't mentioned aloud how opposed she was to the plan of moving regions.

Not wanting to watch Ronnie squirm for much longer, Emma came to her rescue and picked the Shinx up by its waist and moved it across the room. It gave her a sour look. Ronnie scrambled to her feet and returned the Shinx to its ball just as it was getting ready to use Spark on Emma for snatching it up like that.

"Thanks," smiled Emma, relieved to have been saved so efficiently.

"I should be the one thanking you for taking it off me," countered Ronnie, glad to have the Shinx hidden away.

"_Isn't she the reason you got that Shinx in the first place?"_ said Amina, obviously trying to stir an argument. Luckily for everyone in the room, Ronnie didn't get a chance to comment on what Amina had added as they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Ronnie and Emma simultaneously called for the person to come in and they did so hesitantly.

When they came into full view, Amina wolf-whistled appreciatively at them because of how sharply they were dressed: stylish blue shirt, casual jeans, new-looking trainers. If it hadn't been for the badly gelled hair, Connor would have looked like another boy altogether. As it was, his unruly black hair was too thick to be gelled by someone as inexperienced as him and as a result it was sticking up in odd places. It was clear that he had really made an effort to look his best and the black goggles sitting on top of his head really pulled the look together.

"Emma, I er, was wondering if you...maybe uhm, with me..." Ronnie felt like strangling Connor. Why couldn't he just come out and say what he wanted to? It was quite embarrassing to witness him crashing and burning and so Ronnie, being the good friend that she was, jumped in to save him.

"What Connor means is do you want to go on a date with him? Maybe to the Olivine Café which is just next door?" she said. Emma's face showed exactly how she was feeling: pleased and excited. She replied that of course she wanted to go on a date with him and would be out in just a moment: she was going to get changed first. Emma grabbed her bag and bolted herself in the en suite bathroom with a face like a ray of sunshine.

When she was gone, Connor breathed a sigh, glad that she had accepted so readily. Ronnie immediately began giving him advice about his impending date: don't eat anything smelly, be a gentleman at all times, offer to pay for everything and the like. Ronnie encouraged Connor to just be himself and not to hold back on anything. Connor was nodding like crazy as he tried to take in everything Ronnie was firing at him. Up on the top bunk, Bree was observing this with amusement. She didn't know that this was Connor's first date but she did know that he seemed to be clueless about taking a girl out for one evening. Even Bree had been on dates before.

Eventually Emma emerged from the bathroom in a swirl of perfume. She looked gorgeous – from the knees upwards. She had let her hair out of her customary two bunches and hung down her upper back; had applied the lightest hint of mascara and lip gloss and was wearing a casual dark green dress with the cutest bow detail. However, Emma only had one pair of shoes so she was wearing her usual thick brown boots which kind of spoiled the look in Ronnie's point of view. Connor's face said otherwise: he thought she looked stunning. The two of them left the Pokémon Centre with Ronnie wishing them a happy time.

The evening air hit them and Emma found that it was colder than she had anticipated, not having left with a jacket. She slipped her arm through Connor's and shuffled close to him, trying to get some of his body heat. Of course, this action made Connor blush profusely and he hoped the air would cool his face down before they got inside the café where it would be well-lit. The two of them hurried to the Olivine Café to be out of the cold as soon as possible.

The only seats available were at the bar. Two tall stools were empty in the far corner and with no other choice, Connor and Emma made for them. It was hardly the most romantic set up but it was all they had. Connor helped Emma sit on her stool – the task was made harder by the fact that she was wearing a dress – and they picked up a large, well-used menu to browse through. The stools weren't very comfortable and Connor began to feel over-dressed as he took in the number of customers who were in casual clothes. He wished his hands weren't so slippery. After a long period of time in which neither Emma nor Connor spoke, they ordered their meals and immediately an awkward silence ensued. Emma fiddled with her cutlery nervously, not knowing what to do in this situation. Connor continuously shifted position on the stool.

The feeling that the date wasn't off to a good start grew in both participants and they began to feel compelled to say something – anything. Neither could think of an interesting thing to say and as a result, the tension between the two enlarged. Suddenly, Connor's shifting caused him to bump arms with Emma and their heads snapped around to look at each other; both had red cheeks. Connor mumbled an apology. Sensing an opportunity for conversation, Emma seized it.

"I like your goggles. I've never seen you wear them before," she said with a smile. Connor was relieved that had Emma had made an effort to break the ice although it occurred to him that he should have been the one to do it. He had, after all, asked Emma out on the date. Was he just going to sit on the stool and eat his meal in silence? He'd never get far with Emma if he did that. At least Emma had opened on a starter that he could (hopefully) talk about without putting her to sleep.

"Thanks; it was a present from a friend a few years ago. I like to think it's lucky," replied Connor, feeling some of his nerves slip away.

"Let's hope so," murmured Emma under her breath, so quietly that Connor didn't hear her. Their food arrived then and they tucked in to a hearty meal fit for a sailor. In between chewing, Emma and Connor had a sort of mini question and answer session in which they found out a little more about each other. Connor discovered that Emma's favourite colour wasn't green like he guessed but white; the one time when her life was most at risk was when she caught Swinub Flu and she'd had one other boyfriend before but it had ended badly. Emma learned that Connor had a fourteen year old sister called Tate; his real hair colour was purple – Emma had already worked that out from his eyebrows – and his mum was blind.

Their food had been consumed at this point but their conversation was now flowing so well that neither of them seemed to notice. It was such a change from the beginning of their date and they welcomed it warmly. After some strong suggestions from the owner of the café to either buy more food of get out, Connor and Emma left the Olivine Café in high spirits. Emma looped her arm through Connor's again but this time he didn't blush. He only smiled broadly and pulled her closer to him. He was feeling a lot more confident in himself.

It was a lovely night with a full moon and thousands of stars dotted around in the sky. Even though the temperature had dropped considerably, Emma and Connor were kept warm by the feelings in the pit of their stomachs. The two of them walked up the vast amount of stairs that led to the Glitter Lighthouse which was illuminated by an Ampharos. The lighthouse itself looked amazing at night, with its tower lit up against the otherwise dark sky. However, Emma was more taken by the view offered by their position. They couldn't go right up to the top of the lighthouse because the door was locked but they were high enough to have a magnificent view of the ocean. The waves ebbed and flowed against the side of the cliff in a calm manner and as Emma looked out to sea, she could make out a variety of ships either leaving or coming to Olivine City. Emma leaned her head against Connor.

"It's so beautiful," she breathed. Connor couldn't help think the Emma was a lot prettier to look at than the scenery with her bright green eyes lit up like that and her hair blowing slightly in the wind. He didn't say anything though, for fear of being called cheesy. Connor wrapped his arms around Emma and hugged her tight. He really liked this girl and hoped their relationship would last a long time. They stood at the edge of the cliff for a while, just taking in the view provided and enjoying each other's company. It couldn't have been more perfect if Connor had planned it. Who would have thought that after such an uncomfortable beginning their date would have turned out to be so successful?

Emma sighed heavily, suddenly weighed down by something she had been keeping to herself. She could no longer hide it from Connor and felt compelled to spill it to him. After all, he deserved to know.

"I'm really going to miss you when you leave Johto," confessed Emma in a low voice laden down with honest emotion. It took Connor a while to figure out what she was saying and when he did, his arms fell limply to their sides. He stared at Emma.

"You're not coming with us?" asked Connor, although the answer was obvious. He couldn't believe it. Everything had been going so well...Emma shook her head.

"I'd love to but I haven't finished training in Johto yet. And I'm supposed to be meeting my sister here next week," replied Emma in a sad voice. Connor wanted to tell her to stop training, to meet her sister another time but he knew how selfish it would sound. It might even spark an argument between them and he didn't want that, not after the date had been so victorious. No, the best thing he could do was to accept it and make the most of the short time they had left together. Connor could always mope about it afterwards when Emma was no longer around.

Sensing that Connor was deeply hurt by her announcement, Emma placed the palm of her hand on his cheek and attempted a weak smile.

"We will meet again, I promise you that," she said with strong conviction. Connor smiled and said nothing. How could he? He and Ronnie would probably change their names and looks again soon, since Vivian and Massimo had found them twice already. The odds of Connor ever seeing Emma again were slim. But why spoil the moment? Connor held Emma's waist and dipped his head down so that his eyes were level with hers. Emma stared into Connor's dark blue eyes and thought about just how much she liked this boy. She hadn't meant to fall for anyone – she was dedicated to training her Pokémon – but it had happened and there wasn't anything Emma could do about it. Her other hand joined its counter part on the other side of Connor's face and she pulled him closer.

Then with a gentle, lingering touch of their lips, they were kissing. Connor and Emma were both hesitant about it, as if they were taking the time to memorise the feelings before they had to stop. Their hands wandered around appropriate areas of the others' body and their bodies were pressed together as if afraid of the oncoming, inevitable separation that was sure to be long term. Both used soft, tender movements that came impulsively. Tears trickled down Emma's face as her lips were caressed by Connor's. She wondered whether she was making a mistake, perhaps she should go with him...No. Emma had made her decision. She wanted to be the best Pokémon Trainer there was and no boy was going to get in the way of that. Not even a boy as sweet as Connor.

Connor's right hand found Emma's and he held it tight, interlocking their fingers as they continued to kiss. He wanted to hold on to her for as long as he could. He strained to think about the present and not about how much he was going to miss Emma when he left Johto. Finally, they broke away from each other and Connor wiped Emma's tears away with the back of his left hand. He pecked her cheek one last time before staring at her tear-stained face and came to one, final conclusion.

"I love you."

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**Note: I admit, I was going to give up on this story halfway through this chapter. Then I got into the flow...And I actually wrote a kissing scene!**


	8. Stopped

Stopped

Ronnie and Bree looked away as Connor and Emma said goodbye – via kissing. The four of them had woken early in the morning, packed up their things and were now standing on Olivine Port near a boat that was docked nearby. A thin layer of mist surrounded them and faraway ships sounded their fog horns. It was still dark and it didn't look like it was going to be a good day in terms of the weather. They were up early so that no-one caught Ronnie, Connor and Bree sneaking on board without permission. They could have asked the owner of the boat but they didn't want to leave any traces that might suggest where they had gone. The plan was that once they got on the boat, Emma would stick around Olivine Port and make sure they weren't discovered. She and Connor had been kissing for a while now and Ronnie was beginning to get cold, not to mention squeamish.

"Would you guys hurry it up? I'm freezing," hissed Ronnie. She and Bree had already been sleeping when Emma returned to their room in the Pokémon Centre after her date with Connor last night and neither of them had any idea how it went. However, from the enthusiastic way Connor was kissing Emma, Ronnie guessed that it had been a success. Connor and Emma reluctantly separated and Emma wished them good luck and a safe trip. She hugged Bree and Ronnie – Ronnie's hug was stiff and bordered on unresponsive – and squeezed Connor's hand one last time. Ronnie was relieved that that seemed to be the end of it and moved towards the end of the ship where they were going to climb on and hide among the cargo.

"Wait!" squeaked Bree. The older teenagers looked at her, she seemed to be distraught. "I don't want to leave Johto!" Ronnie had one foot in the boat when Bree made this announcement and she sighed, lifting her foot out of it. She should have known something would come up.

"Why didn't you say something before?" asked Connor. Bree swallowed, trying desperately not to cry.

"I wanted to...I tried to! But you were all so happy and you didn't listen to me..." snivelled Bree. Ronnie was inclined to be annoyed with Bree for not trying harder, sooner to get her voice heard but when she saw how upset Bree clearly was, Ronnie's only feeling was pity. She sighed and hugged the younger teenager, informing her that if she didn't want to follow her and Connor then she didn't have to. Bree stared up at Ronnie with tears in her eyes and told her that she was afraid of being alone. Emma stepped forward then with a comforting smile directed at Bree.

"You can come with me if you like. I'm not likely to leave Johto any time soon." Bree's face brightened at the kind offer from Emma and Bree asked if Emma meant it.

"Of course I mean it," Emma assured her. Connor smiled gratefully at Emma and was tempted to kiss her again although he decided against it when he caught sight of Ronnie. She kept glancing meaningfully at the boat and the continuous tapping of her foot was a sign that she was getting impatient. Most people would have assumed that Ronnie couldn't wait to leave Johto but Connor knew better. He could sense the anxiety emitting from Ronnie and knew that she was worried about being caught for a third time. Even after all this time, Ronnie still blamed her self for putting Connor in danger and would hate her self if anything ever happened to him.

Bree walked over to stand next to Emma and she smiled at Ronnie and Connor. She realised just how much she had come to like them and to see them leave hit home the idea that she might never see them again. Amid all the panic and life-threatening situations, she had actually had a good time with them and would value the memories. She considered these two odd teenagers as her friends. Bree practically threw herself at the two teenagers, enveloping them in a small group hug and for the first time, showing her true affection for them. Ronnie was touched by the sentiment and felt bad for being annoyed with Bree – if only for a couple of seconds. She hugged the red-head back, as did Connor.

Then their plan began to fall apart. The man who owned the boat emerged from the mist and, failing to notice four teenagers hanging around near the back of his boat, clambered inside and started up his water vehicle. Ronnie and Connor hastily sprang apart from Bree and rushed to jump on the back of the boat before it sailed away. Connor got in first and he pulled Ronnie on just in time, as the boat was now moving away from the port. Ronnie's foot slipped and she nearly fell into the sea but Connor grabbed her and prevented that from happening. Slightly breathless, they revelled in the success of their plan to escape. Aware that there was no way the owner of the boat could see them while he was at the front steering, Connor and Ronnie waved goodbye to their friends (and in Connor's case, girlfriend).

Emma and Bree were too busy waving back to notice the two tall figures materialising from out of the mist. From out on the boat, Ronnie and Connor could see them perfectly. They watched in horror as one of the figures whacked Bree on the back of her head before putting a dark sack over it and throwing her over his shoulder. The other attempted to do the same with Emma but she turned just in time to see him and was able to fight back. It was no use though; she was obviously not as strong as the other person and was soon in the same state as Bree – but not before she was able to release one of her Pokémon. Her Lapras stood in one position, not knowing what to do. An ordinary Pokémon that belonged to a trainer would have acted instinctively but Emma had taught her Lapras not to act without a command from her. The two kidnappers looked back and smiled nastily at Connor and Ronnie. They were Massimo and Miguel.

Not wanting to stand around while Emma and Bree were kidnapped right under his nose, Connor dived into the sea with the intention of swimming back to Olivine Port. It was a stupid mistake. The waves thrashed him around, forcing him to plunge under the water – and it was a lot colder than Connor had anticipated. He struggled to swim to the top, to break through the surface so he could breathe. But it was hopeless. Every time he got close, another wave would push him even further down. Connor didn't want to give up: he had to save Emma and Bree. But his eyes were closing and his limbs felt heavy. He couldn't hold his breath any longer. He opened his mouth and his lungs filled with water...

xxxxxx

The sack that was around Emma's head was suddenly yanked off and she was treated to the view of a dank room lit with only a dim, bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Emma tried to get up and run away but quickly realised she was tied pretty tightly to the chair she was sitting on. Fighting to stay calm, Emma recounted what had happened at Olivine Port. She and Bree had been ambushed by the two boys who were fighting Connor, Ronnie and Bree a few days ago. Emma wondered why. She didn't know who they were and they didn't know Emma. She had no idea how much time had passed. Footsteps announced that someone was approaching and soon enough, Vivian and Massimo were standing in front of Emma with matching smirks on their faces.

"What are you going to do with me?" asked Emma nervously. The one light bulb cast Vivian and Massimo in a sinister light, causing them to look more intimidating than they would normally.

"Nothing as yet. You are just the bait," replied Massimo in a dull tone. Emma frowned. Bait? Bait for what? Emma couldn't think what would be attracted to her and she felt that her kidnap had been altogether a pointless fete. At her confused expression, Vivian knew that she was too dense to figure it out and didn't see the harm in telling her. She explained that she and Massimo had been thawed out by Miguel and Kaoru soon after Emma had escaped on her Charizard and ever since then they had been spying on the whole group. They came to the conclusion that Connor would come after them if they took Emma and Ronnie would follow him like the loyal Poochyena she was. They didn't have to chase them halfway around the world to catch them. All they had to do was sit and wait for them to come here where they would be ambushed. Emma felt physically sick. Connor and Ronnie were going to walk straight into a trap and it was all her fault. There was nothing she could do to save them this time. If only she had fought harder to escape earlier, she might not be in this situation. She and Bree may even have gotten well away. Something occurred to Emma and her stomach dropped.

"What have you done with Bree?" she asked, glaring at the couple. She felt instinctively worried about the younger girl as she seemed so innocent and vulnerable. It hadn't been too long ago that Emma had been promising to take care of her. Vivian laughed cruelly.

"You mean Breanne Thompson-Brown, daughter of Lord and Lady Thompson-Brown?" Emma's eyes widened. Bree was the daughter of a Lord..? She would never have guessed it. Bree didn't look like she came from an upper class family and she didn't act like it either. Her drab clothes and the way she spoke didn't suggest anything out of the ordinary. It was a real shock to Emma to find out that Bree was upper class, and she wondered if Connor and Ronnie knew about Bree's family.

"Our friends are handing her over to the police as we speak. Rewards for missing kids are easy money," said Vivian, nudging Massimo who laughed. Emma was relieved that Bree was at least safe, if she was with her parents. Except...Emma thought hard about it. Vivian said Bree was a 'missing' kid which suggested that perhaps Bree had run away from home. What if her parents were horribly abusive? Or neglected her? Emma wasn't so relieved anymore and began to worry about Bree's welfare.

"This is just boring!" complained Massimo, throwing his arms out dramatically. They were supposed to wait it out until Connor and Ronnie showed up but there was no telling how long that could take. Massimo would rather be outside, fighting. Vivian looked up at him and smiled impishly.

"I can fix that," she said huskily, using Massimo's shoulder as a lever to pull herself up so she could kiss his cheek sensually. Emma looked away, thinking of Connor. She really didn't want him to get hurt because of her and hoped he had the sense enough not to come after her. If her captors only wanted her for bait, they weren't likely to hurt her and would probably release her when they realised Connor and Ronnie weren't going to show up. Vivian's kiss on the cheek had progressed to some heavy kissing from both her and Massimo, and Emma began to feel uncomfortable. She now had an insight as to how Bree and Ronnie felt earlier, when she was doing the same thing with Connor. However Emma reasoned that that was different because they knew they weren't going to see each other for a long time. Emma had a sneaking suspicion that Massimo and Vivian were only having this make-out session to unnerve her.

When Vivian and Massimo finally parted, Vivian suddenly remembered something about her prisoner. She walked around the room and after rooting around in a bag, produced four Pokéballs. She smiled nastily at Emma and thanked her for the wonderful gift of a brand new Charizard, Marowak, Scizor and Jolteon. It would more than make up for Vivian and Massimo's missing Electrode. They hadn't seen it since it rolled into the wilderness after Gloom.

Emma protested, and struggled to get out of the tight bonds that held her to the chair. There was no way she was going to let them steal her Pokémon from her. She had worked hard to train them into the tough battle Pokémon that they were now and Emma wasn't willing to let them go without a fight. Emma twisted her hands against the rope in a desperate attempt to free herself. All that she succeeded in doing was cutting the skin around her wrists. Emma winced in pain but still wasn't willing to admit defeat. She continued to move her hands around but got no closer to loosening the rope than she did before. Before she could injure herself any further though, Emma was startled into freezing by the sound of someone breaking into the room. Emma figured out that the door was behind her so she wasn't able to see who it was, however she guessed that they had to be strong to break the door down. From the way Massimo's face paled and Vivian swore under her breath, Emma could tell that whoever it was, weren't part of their plan. Loud voices and heavy footsteps filled the room. A hand landed on Emma's shoulder and the stress of the situation just became too much for her. She blacked out.

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**Note: Omg! An update that didn't take weeks? And a cliffhanger? What is going on, Crazy Amazing? Maybe I'll review...**


	9. Busted

**Note: I failed. This story does not make sense if you haven't read the first one :( Ah well! I cbb to do anything about it :D  
**

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Busted

Ronnie was sitting on the cold cell floor, hugging her knees to her chest. She had been there for about two hours but had yet to get past the fear of being there. They'd taken her belongings which meant her Pokéballs, money and everything else that was in her bag. Ronnie couldn't believe how badly everything had gone. She and Connor were supposed to be halfway around the world by now. Now she was nowhere near escaping: she had been caught at long last by the police. Ronnie clutched her knees tighter and rested her head against the stone wall of the holding cell. That was where they had brought her, until they could transfer her to Kanto where she would stand trial for the death of her father, Rick Davies. She was not looking forward to it. Of course they would find her guilty of manslaughter but the fact that she had disappeared for two years wouldn't help her case. If anything, it would make her look highly suspicious and Ronnie may even be accused of purposely killing her father. To make things worse, she was going to be all alone. Ronnie thought back to how she had ended up in this situation.

_When they realised that Emma and Bree were being kidnapped, Connor had jumped straight into the freezing sea without a second thought. Immediately he was sucked under by the overbearing waves. Ronnie saw that he was struggling to resurface and knew she had to think quickly. Massimo and Miguel had already disappeared into the mist with Bree and Emma. Emma's Lapras was still standing in one position on Olivine Port, looking decidedly lost. Desperately, Ronnie called Lapras over. It stared at her dumbly, weighing up its choices slowly. It took far too long in Ronnie's opinion to come to a decision but finally Lapras slithered towards the sea. It eased itself on the surface and swam without difficulty towards the rapidly departing boat. As soon as Lapras was close enough, Ronnie had jumped on to its back and clung on for dear life. She directed it to where she had last seen Connor in the water and took off both boots and her bag before making a neat dive into the sea._

_The icy chill of the water had hit Ronnie by surprise but she had pressed on, swimming furiously until she saw Connor's body. The two of them were now frighteningly far from the surface and Ronnie tried not to panic, especially when she realised that Connor was unconscious and that she was close to opening her mouth to take a breath. Ronnie wrapped her arms around Connor's middle and changed direction, heading for the top of the water. She began to feel tired. Doubt crept into her mind at that point. She didn't think she was going to make it. There just didn't seem to be enough air in her lungs to last and the surface seemed such a long way away. Ronnie supposed her death could be seen as poetic: she died trying to save her best friend..._

_From out of nowhere, Lapras appeared then and it had grabbed on to the back of Ronnie's dress, pulling both her and Connor up and out of the water. The three of them broke through the surface and Ronnie yanked Connor's body onto Lapras' back before climbing up her self. Shivering, Ronnie realised that her boots had gone missing in the chaos but was relieved to see that her bag was hanging around Lapras' neck. They were even further out to sea than before and Ronnie urged Lapras to return to Olivine Port in the hope that Massimo and Miguel had left some sort of trail that they could follow._

_Ronnie realised that Connor hadn't moved from the position she had dumped him in on Lapras' back. Concerned, Ronnie shuffled closer to him. He didn't appear to be breathing. Ronnie shook him._

"_Connor?" she had called, her voice rising a little. Connor remained still. Ronnie shook his body again – still nothing changed. Hands clumsy from panic, Ronnie had felt in several different places for Connor's pulse. She found one, though it was faint and growing weaker all the time. Ronnie urged Lapras to go faster so she could get Connor to the Pokémon Centre. Ronnie held Connor's hand all the way back to shore._

_When they finally reached there though, Ronnie was not happy to find her self surrounded by an abundance of police officers, including some Officer Jennys. They told her not to run, that she was surrounded. They told her to slowly put her bag on the floor at her feet and then to place her hands on her head. They told her it was over. Then she was escorted in the back of a police car all the way to the police station._

And now she was here, still without any shoes. None of the officers had offered her any and Ronnie didn't think it would be appropriate to ask. Her bare toes curled up against the cold. She was mostly dry now, thanks to a kindly officer who had handed her a towel a while back. If she was the type to cry, Ronnie most definitely would have been by now. Everything was just so hopeless. She could basically kiss her freedom goodbye. With a start, Ronnie realised she hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye to Amina. The possibility that she would be allowed to take the Haunter back to Kanto with her were next to nothing and Ronnie came to accept that she would simply never see Amina again.

"Daphne Davies, you've got a guest," called a police officer. Ronnie jumped. She hadn't been called Daphne in two years. It was the name she had left behind, along with her horrendous past. Now, it had all caught up with her. In a way, Ronnie – no, Daphne felt at peace with herself. She no longer had to hide who she was from the world. She could be herself once more. She wouldn't be liked but at least she would be known for who she truly was. Daphne smiled to herself, and smiled even wider still when she saw who her 'guest' was.

In clothes straight from the Pokémon Centre store room, looking rather pale but otherwise happy to be alive and well, was Connor, more commonly known – in particular to the police – as Conan. Daphne rushed into his arms, thankful to see him. She knew he had been taken to the Pokémon Centre to get resuscitated but other than that she had had no news about him. Conan hugged Daphne back just as tight as she was hugging him. The cell door slammed shut behind them and they could hear it being locked. Still holding on to Conan, Daphne pulled away slightly and then repositioned herself so she could kiss his cheek, which she did repeatedly. Conan flushed bright red, thinking only of Emma.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, do you hear me?" said Daphne, resting her head on his shoulder. "Don't ever leave me." Conan was touched by her words. He knew she cared about him, that was a given. He just had no idea how deeply.

"I sort of can't," began Conan. Daphne looked at him quizzically. "They're shipping me to Kanto with you. Something about being an accessory in a crime." Conan attempted to stay calm and casual about it, as he knew that the officer was guarding the door and was probably listening in to their conversation. Inside, Conan was freaking out. He didn't want to go to court to testify. He knew they would want him to rat out Daphne and there was no way he would do that. They'd been through too much together for him to double cross her at the last hurdle.

"Oh Conan," murmured Daphne sadly. She had been trying to prevent this from happening for a long time but now it seemed her hard work had all been for nothing. They had been found out. Daphne wondered who it had been. The two of them sat down in the lonely holding cell, holding hands and leaning on each other for physical and emotional support. Whatever happened to them, they would remain strong and hold on to their friendship. It was all they had left right now. It had carried them this far; who was to say it couldn't carry them ever further?

"Heh, do you remember when you broke your hand punching Zoe and Zack's Zubat?" chuckled Conan. Daphne smiled at the memory.

"I remember when I first met you. I was so surprised to find that my partner was a boy!" The two of them laughed, reminiscing the old, carefree days. They both realised how much they had changed since then, not just because of the events that had occurred in their lives but also because they had matured considerably. There were nearing into adulthood – although by the look of things, they'd be spending a good deal of it behind bars. Their future didn't look as bright as it has seemed when they were younger.

The sound of keys turning in the lock could be heard and Conan and Daphne fell silent. The door creaked open and an officer entered, closely followed by two important-looking adults. One was a woman who had salon-perfect blonde hair in a bouffant ponytail. She was wearing a white blouse, black pencil skirt and her black heels clipped nosily on the hard concrete floor. She looked incredibly out of place, standing in the doorway of the holding cell and her discomfort was evident on her pinched face. A spoilt Snubbull stood at her feet. The man with her had jet black hair that was perfectly styled and was wearing a beige suit, black tie and shiny black shoes. A Persian was rubbing itself against his legs tenderly. Unlike his female counterpart, the man didn't look uncomfortable standing there although he looked just as out of place as she. If anything, the man gave off a friendly and approachable vibe. Daphne and Conan wondered what they were doing there.

"Conan McIntosh and Daphne Davies?" the woman asked in a voice that said she didn't take any nonsense. The two teenagers nodded in confirmation of their names. Daphne found it odd to realise that she had never known Conan's last name up until that point.

"Come with us," the woman ordered, leaving the room without waiting to see if they would follow. It was as if she expected them to go after her simply because she told them to. The man stared after her exasperatedly.

"You'll have to excuse my wife. She doesn't like to leave the house on such short notice. We've paid a hefty amount to free you two so we'd be ever obliged if you would accompany us back to our house," he said cheerily. Conan and Daphne gaped at each other. What was going on? Was this some sort of joke at their expense? They knew it wasn't usual for two strangers to pay for the police to release two potentially dangerous criminals. Something was definitely going on behind the scenes and though they both wanted to know what it was, they didn't want to hang around in the holding cell for much longer. If it was a practical joke then at least they would have a decent chance of escaping and slipping away. Daphne and Conan got to their feet and – still hand in hand – followed the well-dressed man out of the station. Just outside was a glimmering black limousine with tinted windows. A man was holding the door open for them and the well-dressed man waved them inside. His wife was already sitting down beside him, waiting patiently for the car to drive off. Her Snubbull was sitting obediently in her lap. Daphne and Conan got in and the door was shut behind them.

They stared around them in awe, neither having been in a limo before. The sophisticated decor was almost too much for them. Resisting the urge to touch everything in her reach, Daphne contented herself with discreetly rubbing the velvet seat that she was sitting on. She'd never felt anything as soft before. In a smooth motion, the limousine began to drive along the road. Something on the wide, carpeted floor caught Conan's eye.

"Hey, our bags!" he said, grabbing his. Rummaging around inside, he found that everything was still there – even his Pokéballs. He handed Daphne's to her and she was grateful to see that she too had all her Pokéballs. It was a relief not to have to leave any of her Pokémon behind as she made her great escape, which brought her to the question of how this was possible.

"Excuse me," Daphne felt like she had to be polite to her upper class saviours, "but who are you and why are you doing this for us?" The man stroked the head of his Persian thoughtfully before answering. The woman was too busy applying makeup to her already perfect face to take any notice of a conversation that was happening right in front of her.

"Our daughter had been missing for over two years and this morning, we got a phone call saying that she had been found. Of course, my wife and I rushed to the station and there she was, our little girl. We really missed her and had been worried sick ever since waking up that morning to find her gone. All she could talk about was these friends she had made and how they were going to be in big trouble. My wife and I were shocked to hear our precious darling talking about bad organisations and people being double crossed by their own teammates but she wouldn't stop until we promised to do everything we could to rescue her friends. It was very expensive but we pulled it off in the end," he said with a smile. Conan blinked.

"You mean you paid to have us acquitted?" he asked, dumbfounded. The man verified that that was the case.

"But isn't that illegal?" asked Daphne. The man shrugged.

"Whatever keeps our lovely little princess happy," he responded easily.

"And believe me," added the woman, lowering her hand mirror for just a moment, "she **will** be happy." Daphne and Conan exchanged glances. It was as if they were reading each others' minds in that one moment: these people spoilt their daughter. Perhaps they didn't realise that giving her everything she wanted didn't necessarily mean she was going to be the happiest girl in the world. The woman continued to dab powder on her face, clouding herself in a small puff of white dust for a short time. Her Snubbull didn't appear to mind that most of it was falling on to its head; it was probably used to such behaviour. The man suddenly smacked the side of his head comically, as if he had just remembered something.

"How silly of me; we haven't even introduced ourselves yet. We're Lord and Lady Thompson-Brown." A slither of information slotted into place in Daphne's mind.

"What's the name of your daughter?" she asked in her most polite tone.

"Breanne," replied Lady Thompson-Brown, not looking at her as she spoke. Daphne's eyes lit up and she squeezed Conan's hand. Now it made sense: _Bree_ had saved them. That answered the question of what had happened to her after being kidnapped. Conan was glad she was safe, though he couldn't help wondering what had become of Emma. Had she managed to escape? Was she alright?

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**Note2: Lord and Lady Thompson-Brown are property of xPikachu-Princessx. Go check out her stuffs.**


	10. We're All Right

We're All Right

It was the biggest house in Cianwood City. Built on the beach in the 1880s, the magnificent house was pink and had dark brown slates on the roof. There was a tower with a spire on the right side of it and a painted white porch that lead to an oak front door. With more windows than Daphne could count, Lord and Lady Thompson-Brown's house truly met her expectations. The limousine had driven on to their private ferry which had carried the four of them (five if you included the driver) over the sea and to the beachside city. It had been a strange experience to be sitting in a car whilst bobbing along the ocean and it was one Daphne and Conan did not care to try again. The ferry docked and the limousine reversed down the conveniently-placed ramp and onto the shore of Cianwood. It had driven them directly to the Thompson-Brown household. The door was opened for them to get out and they did, Lady Thompson-Brown first, followed closely by her husband and less enthusiastically, Daphne and Conan. They debated for the first few seconds whether now would be a good time to run. They quickly abandoned this idea when they caught sight of the person sitting on the front porch, waiting for them.

If not for the Mareep, Conan and Daphne might have never recognised Bree from that first glance. Since being reunited with her parents, some changes had been done to Bree's otherwise 'scruffy teenager' appearance, courtesy of Lady Thompson-Brown. No daughter of hers was going to run around the city looking like a common adolescent girl. Bree's previously dyed red hair had been re-dyed to its normal, dark brown. It had also been cut and styled so it stood voluminous and fluffy from her head. Gone were Bree's skinny jeans and black hooded jumper, to be replaced by an excessive powder blue and white dress that had three glimmering white buttons on the front and an adorable white ribbon that hung around Bree's neck. Her short grey boots were a thing of the past: this season, gold sandals were in and that was exactly what Bree had on her feet. Conan and Daphne had never seen her look so beautiful – or uncomfortable in her own skin.

"Connor, Ronnie! I'm so glad you two are okay," breathed Bree, as she flung her arms around their necks and enveloped them in a cushy hug.

"Actually, we're back to Conan and Daphne," informed Conan, as he and Daphne hugged their friend back. Bree was surprised by their real names. She knew them as Connor and Ronnie; Conan and Daphne sounded so alien to her ears. Lady Thompson-Brown rolled her eyes at their reunion and breezed past them into the house: there was a cup of tea in there with her name on it. Lord Thompson-Brown was a little more empathetic than his wife and warmly invited them all to supper in their house. At the mention of food, Daphne and Conan both realised how ravenous there were and gladly accepted the offer. The interior of the Thompson-Brown manor was even more impressive than its exterior. The lush carpets had not a single speck on them, sophisticated paintings hung on the walls and priceless works of art stood proudly on pedestals throughout the house. Daphne and Conan felt like they were in a museum and stared at everything in awe. Bree, who was used to this reaction, took no notice of them and showed them the way to the dining room.

It was an impressively sized room that was decorated quite plainly compared to the rest of the house. In the middle of the room was a long table that could seat twenty – however there were only three already seated. Lady Thompson-Brown was sipping at her tea, Lord Thompson-Brown munching on a buttered crumpet as he browsed through the daily paper and a boy Conan and Daphne had never seen before. He looked to be about Bree's own age, with curly brown hair and deep brown eyes. Unlike the rest of the Thompson-Browns', the boy was in casual wear: an orange t-shirt over a black jacket and blue jeans. He was enthusiastically devouring a plate of lasagne.

Daphne and Conan stared as Bree walked gracefully over and sat down next to him. Almost instantly, a servant appeared from the double doors at the far end of the room with a plate of spaghetti which he placed in front of Bree. Daphne and Conan exchanged glances. Nervously, they sat opposite Bree and her friend and, as they expected, another servant materialised with noodles for Daphne and a slice of chicken pot pie for Conan. Severely freaked out, Conan and Daphne were close to asking how the chef had known their favourite meals but thought better of it when the smell of the delicious food hit them. There would be time for questions after they ate. The two of them tucked in.

When everyone had finished their meal, Lord and Lady Thompson-Brown exited the dining room after a brief goodbye, leaving Daphne and Conan alone with Bree and her curly-haired friend. Bree took the opportunity to introduce them all to each other. Pablo was the boy's name and he and Bree had known each other for a long time. He came from a family just as wealthy as Bree's but his parents had passed away many years ago, so Lord and Lady Thompson-Brown had invited him to live with them. Everyone thought it was an excellent idea at the time and Bree was especially grateful as it had been her mum's idea. She thought it had been incredibly kind of her and Lady Thompson-Brown rarely displayed any kindness. She preferred what she called 'tough love'. Bree had discovered though, that there was an ulterior motive for wanting Pablo to live at the Thompson-Brown manor.

"Is that why you ran away?" asked Daphne. Bree hesitated – before assuring them that she would say the full story later. Daphne and Conan both looked disappointed. Bree knew what had happened in their past – they thought it would be fair if she now told them about hers. However, they couldn't force her to say anything before she was ready. Bree announced that there was someone waiting for them in the library and asked them to follow her there. Pablo jumped to it immediately but Conan and Daphne hung back, not used to taking orders from their shy little friend no matter how nicely she had dressed it up. It seemed that Bree was the boss in her own house.

The library was up a flight of stairs and was in one of the many rooms along the main corridor there. If they didn't have Bree for a guide, Conan and Daphne were certain they would have ended up hopelessly lost. They could travel an entire region without losing their way but Bree's house was something else. Servants and maids scurried about the place, going about their duties. Wonderfully expensive ornaments decorated every available space. It was like walking through a vast, modern museum. Eventually they came to two large double doors made of fine wood that had a golden plaque above, declaring it the 'Library'. The four of them went inside. Two gasped. Stunned by the sheer number of books stretching from the floor to the ceiling, covering every wall space in the enormous room, Conan and Daphne couldn't close their mouths. The room was magnificent, far greater than anything else they had seen already in Bree's house. Light streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the room brilliantly. In the middle of the room was a huddle of soft armchairs drowning in pillows. A girl with dark, bushy hair tied in two bunches was curled up in one of the armchairs, peering at a large book from behind her round glasses. Upon hearing someone entering the room, her head snapped up. The book dropped from her lap and there was a pause.

She shot out of the chair and threw herself at Conan, burying her head in his neck. Soft sobs escaped her throat.

"I was so worried," she whispered. As the girl pulled away from Conan, he only had one thing to say.

"Emma, you wear glasses!" Laughing hollowly at him, Emma shoved him gently. Conan smiled warmly at her and held her close to his chest. Behind him, Pablo cursed. He had been banking on Emma being single as he had become attracted to her from the moment she had turned up at Bree's house after being escorted by the police. Bree had also told her parents about Emma being kidnapped and it hadn't been long before the police had tracked her down and brought her to the Thompson-Brown household.

"I never get the girl," muttered Pablo. Next to him, Daphne smiled sympathetically. He was young and had plenty of time for relationships. He would soon discover that they weren't all about hugging your girlfriend and swearing to her that she didn't look like a dork in her glasses, even if she did. Bree felt thoroughly pleased with herself. She had successfully reunited two people who had strong feelings for each other and Bree felt great, like she had made a difference. It was the best deed she had done in a while.

They all drifted towards the cosy arm chairs and sat. Bree's excessive dress rustled as she attempted to get comfortable and Pablo had to hold it down as she shifted in the chair. She smiled at him gratefully. Looking around at the other teenagers, Bree felt that it was time she was honest with everyone, especially herself. She would confess the reason why she ran away from home.

**Pop**. Without warning, Amina emerged from Daphne's bag and glared at them all. She hadn't been let out of her ball since the night of Conan and Emma's first date and she was sick and tired of being cooped up all the time. Amina took one look at her surroundings and shrieked.

"_Where the heck are we? No-one ever tells me anything anymore! It's like they're ashamed of me. I'll have you know, I'm the coolest Pokémon you could ever wish for! You aint _never_ gonna meet any other like me," _preached Amina loudly. Daphne rolled her eyes and tried to get Amina to shut up. Amina took no notice of Daphne and whizzed around the room, inspecting everything she could. Of course, Daphne was hardly surprised that Amina had been the one to break the mellow mood. It was almost expected of her, at this point. Amina was the most talkative Haunter, probably in existence. Conan chuckled affectionately at her. He wouldn't have had it any other way. Noticing that Conan had his arms wrapped tightly around Emma, Amina stopped zooming around the room and stared at them.

"_You're still around?"_ she said to Emma._ "I thought Conan would be with Daphne by now – I mean Connor and Ronnie!"_ Not realising that Conan and Daphne had already switched back to their original names, Amina tried to cover up her mistake. Emma was the only person in the room who didn't know about their names and Conan gave her a brief overview of what had happened. She didn't ask for more details, for which both Daphne and Conan were glad. Daphne raised an eyebrow at Amina.

"That's disgusting; Conan is like my brother," she said. Amina simply winked and then asked if she had interrupted something.

"I think Bree was about to say something," said Pablo, looking at Bree with concern. She smiled bravely at him before proceeding to go on with her tale of why she felt she had had to run away two years ago.

Pablo's family name, Moreno Gutiérrez Delgado Ortega, was one that held much weight in the world and this was something that both Lord and Lady Thompson-Brown respected. They got on well with Lord and Lady Moreno Gutiérrez Delgado Ortega before their unfortunate death and one night, the four adults made an agreement. Their children, whom they loved dearly and doted upon fondly, would be betrothed so that they could create a wonderful empire together, joining the two best families. Both Bree and Pablo had been oblivious to this up until about two years ago, when Lord Thompson-Brown let it slip at a dinner party one evening. Horrified, Bree hadn't been able to look Pablo in the eye let alone talk to him about what they had just heard. She knew she couldn't marry Pablo. It wasn't the fact that he was her best friend that stopped her. It was the fact that Bree didn't find boys attractive in the slightest – she preferred girls. That same night, Bree slipped silently out of the house and declared herself an official runaway. She struggled to survive on her own for almost a week before Clive found her and took her under his wing.

Everyone in the library stared at Bree, dumfounded. Small, innocent Bree was blushing profusely and staring purposefully at her sandals. An awkward silence filled the room. No-one spoke. No-one moved. Bree's confession digested slowly in their minds. As usual, Amina was the first person to open her big mouth.

"_That's a stupid reason to run away. You could have just told your parents the truth,"_ she said, unimpressed. Bree's eyes darted towards the Ghost Pokémon. Her mouth opened – and then closed. Bree had nothing to say in defence. How could she explain to a Pokémon how small-minded her parents were? How anything that didn't fit their view of the world was simply castaway? How they wanted Bree to be the 'perfect daughter' and would make her feel terrible if she let them down in anyway?

"Lord and Lady Thompson-Brown aren't very understanding. They will do things for Bree if she asks but they want her to dress, speak and act in a certain way. There is no room in their heads for anything that isn't part of their dream," supplied Pablo. Emma, Conan, Amina and Daphne considered this information. All of them, bar Amina, could believe this was the truth after only meeting Lord and Lady Thompson-Brown for a short time. Their lives revolved around themselves and anything else was just a bug on the windshield as far as they were concerned. Still, Daphne couldn't help thinking how lucky Bree was to have both parents alive – unlike her self and Pablo. Maybe Lord and Lady Thompson-Brown spoilt Bree rotten and didn't consider her feelings when making life changing decisions for her, but at least they were there for her. Of course, Daphne wasn't ignorant. She knew her father had been nothing short of useless up until the day he died. It was her mum whom she desperately missed, and had for almost four years.

"I think you should tell them, Bree," said Emma gently. "It's not good to keep things like this a secret." Bree didn't look sure at all. For years she had gotten by just fine omitting to tell her parents virtually anything she knew they would disapprove of and Bree wasn't willing to change her habits now. However, she knew that her parents still expected her to marry Pablo some day, possibly when she was eighteen. At least that meant she had a good four years to figure out how she was going to break it to them that there was no way she was going to be wed to Pablo.

"Speaking of parents," began Conan.

"_Who was speaking about parents?"_ interrupted Amina. _"I thought we were talking about secrets?"_ She was ignored.

"Speaking of parents," Conan continued, "my dad's back home, Daphne. He returned a few months ago – I called them and found out. What I'm saying is, now that our names are cleared I want to go home to be with him, mum and Tate."

"Oh..." Daphne said, obviously crushed. She had no family to go back to. Her only friends were sitting in the library with her. She didn't know Emma very well and didn't fancy living under the Thompson-Brown roof. A life spent wandering the different regions with only a mouthy Haunter for company flashed in front of Daphne's mind. It didn't look very promising. Conan smirked at her.

"Of course, you're welcome to come with me," he said. Daphne's face split into a wide smile. She would never say it aloud, but she loved Conan. He was truly the greatest friend a person could hope for and Daphne genuinely had no idea how often that thought crossed her mind. Words couldn't describe how elated she felt. If Emma hadn't been wrapped in Conan's arms, Daphne would have launched herself at him. As it were, Daphne contented herself with thanking him and grinning like an idiot. Bree asked Emma if she was still going to stay in Johto and Emma answered immediately that of course she was. She was dedicated to her training. Still, that didn't stop her from taking down Conan's address and phone number – for when she was finished with her training. Conan couldn't wait for that day. He promised to wait as long as it took and Emma hoped he stayed true to his word.

The five teenagers sat in their respective chairs and watched as the sun went down in the sky. Each of them had come to the conclusion that the day had been a good one and for some, even better days awaited them. They would just have to be patient and eventually, with a little luck and a lot of work, everything would work out the way they wanted it to.

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**Note: And now ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end.**


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